Mumbai, May 03: For us, life is equal to water, not just biologically, but also in the context of our hunt for life beyond Earth. For life to exist as we know it, water is essential. As a result, the scientific community becomes aware of the possibility of the presence of water, water vapour, or even ice, and telescopes from all over the world are directed at the target celestial object.
A rocky exoplanet orbiting its star has been discovered to contain water vapour by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Water vapour signals were discovered orbiting the stony planet GJ 486 using JWST's Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec). Water on Mars! New Research Points Liquid Purifiers Underneath The Surface.
For the planet to be in the star's habitable zone, it is too close to the star. The average temperature of the planet's surface is 430 degrees Celsius. If the water vapour is in fact connected to the planet, it could imply that the planet has an atmosphere despite being so close to its star. A rocky exoplanet's atmosphere has not yet been definitively discovered, therefore this will be a very significant development.
In the instance of GJ486, however, researchers are still attempting to ascertain whether the water vapour is connected to the planet or to the star itself, specifically to the cooler parts of the star.
There is a signal that we can almost certainly attribute to water, according to Sarah Moran of the University of Arizona in Tucson, who was mentioned by NASA on its website. We can't tell yet if that water is part of the planet's atmosphere, meaning the planet has an atmosphere, or if we're just seeing a water signature coming from the star, added Moran, who is the lead author of the study. Venus Can Be Seen As Earth’s Evil Twin, Has Atmosphere and Water, Says Study.
It would be a significant advance in the study of exoplanets to find water vapour in the atmosphere of a hot, rocky planet. But we need to be vigilant and make sure the star is not the offender, noted Kevin Stevenson of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, as quoted by NASA.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 03, 2023 09:59 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).