American scientists have found out by what signs a potentially habitable exoplanet can be found. The researchers propose to judge the suitability of a space object for life by the chemical composition of its atmosphere and climatic conditions. This information will be read by powerful telescopes, which are already being designed by specialists from the United States. The first results are planned to be obtained by 2030. According to Russian astrophysicists, the expectations of their foreign colleagues are quite realistic.
Find a second Earth
American scientists from the NASA Space Research Institute named after Goddard, as well as the Universities of California and Washington, found out what signs a potentially habitable exoplanet can be found. The researchers' data were summarized on the Gizmodo portal.
The suitability of a space object for life can be judged by the presence of gases in its atmosphere - the products of the vital activity of plants or bacteria capable of photosynthesis. In addition, it is possible to determine whether an exoplanet is inhabited by the light reflected by plants.
Also, astrophysicists have carefully studied the origin and evolution of life on our planet. According to scientists, similar processes are not unique and could occur on exoplanets under certain circumstances. This means that any earth-like planet can be inhabited.
The presence of life on exoplanets can be judged by the content of a number of chemicals in their atmosphere, in particular hydrogen, methane and ethane, as well as by climatic conditions favorable for the existence of liquid water. The oceans hidden in the bowels of a space object may also indicate its suitability for life.
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All this space information will have to be read by powerful telescopes, which are currently being designed by specialists from the United States.
American astronomers have assessed the prospects for upcoming observations of potentially habitable planets. The instruments are expected to help detect signals emanating from even the most distant exoplanets. According to the researchers, it will be possible to find out the chemical composition of the atmosphere of exoplanets and determine which of them are inhabited by 2030.
Telescope of the European Southern Observatory in Chile.
According to Sergei Popov, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics, Leading Researcher at the Moscow State University, such advanced projects often turn out to be very effective. For example, the 40-m telescope of the European Southern Observatory has made it possible to detect and explore many exoplanets.
To date, scientists know more than 3.5 thousand exoplanets.
Hope for the future
“We believe that an integrated, multidisciplinary approach is needed. Not a single idea and not a single technology project that would help us find life on exoplanets should be discarded,”said one of the study authors, University of Washington astrophysicist Victoria Madouz.
Sergei Popov notes that over the past 20-25 years, mankind has discovered quite a lot of exoplanets, but, with rare exceptions, so far we can judge about planets outside our solar system only by information about their mass, size and the amount of energy received from stars around which they rotate.
“At the moment, we also managed to determine the atmospheres of giant planets, for example, Jupiter. Now the same work has to be done for terrestrial exoplanets. Scientists have been conducting such studies since the beginning of the 21st century, but they have not yet achieved results. The fact is that to complete the task, new tools and technologies are needed, which are gradually developing. There is good reason to believe that by the early 2030s, scientists will bring such devices to mind. Thus, during the 2030s, progress can be expected in the search for potentially habitable exoplanets,”Popov said in an interview.
Mikhail Kuznetsov, an employee of the Moscow State University, emphasized that it is necessary to look for exoplanets, the living conditions on which resemble those on Earth. It is very important that these celestial bodies fall into the habitable zone - an area with an optimal temperature where water can be in a liquid state. However, if the star around which the planet orbits is very bright, then it produces too much life-threatening ultraviolet radiation.
“One of the potentially habitable planets was discovered in the red dwarf system of Proxima Centauri. A celestial object is located not far from its star, the temperature on it is favorable for the existence of liquid water. However, outbreaks occur on the star, and so far their influence on exoplanets is not fully known, Kuznetsov said in an interview with RT.
The scientist drew attention to the fact that several other studies are planned to search for habitable exoplanets. They are mainly associated with the construction of powerful telescopes that will allow us to study the atmospheres of exoplanets.
“For example, the orbiting infrared observatory James Webb, which is scheduled to launch in 2019, will help explore exoplanets. From the Gaia satellite, which has compiled an excellent 3D map of the galaxy, as well as from the TESS satellite, one can also expect the discovery of earth-like objects. Whether there is a biosphere on some exoplanets is a question for further research, the answer to which we will receive in the coming decades, Kuznetsov concluded.
Anastasia Ksenofontova