An international team of astronomers examined the atmosphere of planet K2-18 b using the James Webb Space Telescope. Scientists concluded that the object’s gas envelope contains methane and carbon dioxide, making K2-18b potentially suitable for the existence of organic life. To work published On the website of the European Space Agency (ESA).
Exoplanet K2-18 b is located approximately 120 light-years from Earth and has a mass 8.6 times that of our planet. It orbits the red dwarf star K2-18 in the constellation Leo. Previous studies have shown that the surface of K2-18 b may be covered with water.
“Our results highlight the importance of considering a variety of habitable environments when searching for life. Traditionally, the search for life on exoplanets has focused primarily on small, rocky planets, but larger worlds are much better suited for atmospheric observations,” explained University of Cambridge astronomer Nikku Madhusudhan, lead author of the paper.
The abundance of methane and carbon dioxide and the lack of ammonia support the hypothesis that there may be an ocean beneath K2-18 b’s hydrogen-rich atmosphere. The observations also showed the presence of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) molecules on the planet. On Earth, this element is produced only by life – the main part of DMS in our atmosphere is released by phytoplankton.
Although K2-18 b is in the habitable zone and contains carbon-containing molecules, this does not mean that life can exist on the planet. The planet’s large size (its radius is 2.6 times that of Earth) means its atmosphere is thinner and richer in hydrogen than Earth’s. It is also possible that the surface oceans are too hot to be habitable for organisms.
Earlier astronomers I learnedIt is stated that there may be 100 times more planets with liquid water than previously thought.