Articles for tag: Astrobiology, Exoplanets, JWST, K218b, SpaceScience

Exploring the Cosmos: Potential Life Indicators Found on Exoplanet K2-18b

Jan Otte

New James Webb Telescope data reveals tantalizing hints of biological activity on a distant water world but scientists urge cautious optimism. A Whisper From 120 Light-Years Away The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has detected what may be the most promising evidence yet for extraterrestrial life: “This isn’t just another blip it’s a siren call ...

What If Life Could Exist on Planets Outside Our Solar System

What If Life Could Exist on Planets Outside Our Solar System

Andrew Alpin

Picture this for a moment: you’re standing beneath a starlit sky, gazing upward at thousands of twinkling points of light, knowing that among them hide worlds where life might actually thrive. This isn’t science fiction anymore. We’ve discovered over 5,600 exoplanets as of 2024, and scientists are actively studying which ones might harbor life. The ...

Close-up image of a tardigrade under a microscope, showcasing its unique features.

The Bug That Can Survive in Outer Space – Seriously

Suhail Ahmed

  Picture this: millions of miles from Earth, in the harsh vacuum of space where temperatures plummet to nearly absolute zero and cosmic radiation tears through any unprotected living thing. No atmosphere, no oxygen, no water, just an endless void that would kill a human in seconds. Yet somehow, a creature smaller than a grain ...

Astrobiology's Philosophical Implications

Are We Alone? What Astrobiology Is Really Searching For

Annette Uy

Picture this: somewhere in the vast cosmic darkness, under the crimson glow of an alien sun, microscopic organisms might be thriving in conditions that would instantly kill us. While you’re reading this sentence, radio telescopes are scanning the heavens for signals that could change humanity forever. The search for life beyond Earth isn’t just about ...

Scientists Find Rainwater With Microorganisms From Space

Scientists Find Rainwater With Microorganisms From Space

Jan Otte

The world of microbiology just got a whole lot more fascinating. Picture this: tiny life forms that have survived the harsh vacuum of space, endured radiation that would kill most living things, and somehow made their way to Earth through raindrops. What sounds like science fiction is becoming scientific reality as researchers uncover evidence of ...

Could Life Evolve Inside a Gas Giant Planet?

Could Life Evolve Inside a Gas Giant Planet?

Jan Otte

The mysteries of our universe continue to challenge everything we thought we knew about life itself. From the scorching clouds of Venus to the frozen moons of Saturn, scientists are constantly redefining what constitutes a habitable world. One question that once seemed purely the realm of science fiction now captures the attention of serious researchers ...

The Meteorite That Contains Building Blocks of Life

The Meteorite That Contains Building Blocks of Life

Andrew Alpin

Think about this for a moment. Nearly five billion years ago, mysterious rocks from space were already carrying the essential ingredients for life as we know it. These weren’t just any rocks. They were cosmic messengers, preserving within their ancient cores the very molecules that would eventually become the foundation of every living creature on ...

Conclusion

Could Alien Life Be Made of Something Other Than Carbon?

Andrew Alpin

When we picture extraterrestrial life, most of us imagine something fundamentally similar to Earth’s creatures. But what if we’re thinking too small? What if alien life forms are constructed from entirely different building blocks than the carbon-based chemistry we know and love? The universe is vast and strange, and the possibilities for alternative life may ...

A hycean planet is a hypothetical type of planet, described as a hot, water-covered planet with a hydrogen atmosphere. The presence of extraterrestrial liquid water makes Hycean planets promising candidates for planetary habitability. According to researchers, density data imply that both rocky Super-Earths and Sub-Neptunes can fit this type, and it is thus expected that they will be common exoplanets. Currently there are no confirmed hycean planets, but the Kepler mission detected many candidates. Hycean planets could be considerably larger than what habitable planets were previously thought to be, with radii reaching 2.6 R⊕ (2.3 R⊕) and masses of 10 M⊕ (5 M⊕). Moreover, the habitable zone of such planets could be considerably larger than that of Earth-like planets. The planetary equilibrium temperature can reach 500 K (227 °C; 440 °F) at late M-dwarfs. There could also exist tidally locked 'Dark Hycean' planets (habitable only on the side of permanent night) or 'Cold Hycean' planets (with negligible irradiation). Hycean worlds could be soon investigated for biosignatures by terrestrial telescopes and space telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope. The term "Hycean planet" was coined in 2021 by a team of exoplanet researchers at the University of Cambridge, as a portmanteau of "hydrogen" and "ocean", used to describe planets that are thought to have large oceans and hydrogen-rich atmospheres. Hycean planets are thought to be common around red dwarf stars, and are considered to be a promising place to search for life beyond Earth. Although the presence of water may help them be habitable planets, their habitability may be limited by a possible runaway greenhouse effect. Hydrogen reacts differently to starlight's wavelengths than do heavier gases like nitrogen and oxygen. If the planet orbits the star at one Astronomical unit (AU), the temperature would be so high that the oceans would boil and water would become vapor. Current calculations locate the habitable zone where water would remain liquid at 1.6 AU, if the atmospheric pressure is similar to Earth's, or at 3.85 AU if it is the more likely tenfold to twentyfold pressure. All current Hycean planet candidates are located within the area where oceans would boil, and are thus unlikely to have actual oceans of liquid water. Hycean planets have hydrogen-rich atmospheres. The atmospheres on Hycean planets are thought to be made up of hydrogen, helium, and water vapor. They are thought to be covered in oceans. The oceans on Hycean planets are thought to be much deeper than the oceans on Earth. They are thought to be common around red dwarf stars. Red dwarf stars are the most common type of star in the Milky Way galaxy. They are considered to be a promising place to search for life beyond Earth. Hycean planets have the ingredients necessary for life, including liquid water, energy, and organic molecules. The discovery of Hycean planets may represent a new frontier in the search for life beyond Earth. These planets are thought to be very different from Earth, but they could still be home to forms of life. Astronomers plan to use telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope to search for Hycean planets and to learn more about their potential for human habitability. One such candidate planet is K2-18b, which orbits a faint star with a period of about 33 days. It could have liquid water, contains a considerable high amount of hydrogen gas in its atmosphere, and is far enough from its star. It clearly resides in its star’s habitable zone. It is discovered to contain water in its atmosphere. Such candidate planets can be studied for biomarkers. Image created by Pablo Carlos Budassi in 2023 (pablocarlosbudassi.com)

Do Deep Exoplanet Oceans Hide Clues to Life? Exploring Hycean Habitable Zones

Jan Otte

The quest for life beyond Earth has centered for decades on rocky, Earth-like planets, but a new class of enigmatic worlds called Hycean planets may upend this way of thinking about habitability. These ocean-laden exoplanets, cloaked in dense hydrogen atmospheres, could have great hidden seas thousands of miles below their surfaces, and tidal forces and geothermal heat ...