Results: Water detected in atmosphere of potentially habitable super-Earth!
Published on 09/12/2019
Astronomers have, for the first time, discovered water in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting within the habitable zone of a distant star.
The finding makes the world - which is called K2-18b - a plausible candidate in the search for alien life.
Within 10 years, new space telescopes might be able to determine whether K2-18b's atmosphere contains gases that could be produced by living organisms. The detection of water vapor in the atmosphere of this exoplanet is particularly exciting to the researchers because the exoplanet also lies within the habitable zone of its star, which includes the right temperatures for liquid water to exist on the surface of the planet and potentially support life as we understand it.
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Are you aware of this discovery?
Yes
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No
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Do you think that Earth is the only planet where life exists? Yes
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"With so many new super-Earths expected to be found over the next couple of decades, it is likely that this is the first discovery of many potentially habitable planets," said Ingo Waldmann, study co-author and lecturer in extrasolar planets at the University College London's Centre for Space Exochemistry Data. Would you like to leave earth and live on another habitable planet? Yes
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No
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Undecided
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Do you think that by looking through telescopes the scientists can accurately figure out the amount of water in its atmosphere? Yes
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No
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Undecided
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