New Delhi, April 17 (IANS) An Indian-origin astrophysicist-led study, published on Thursday, found the strongest hints of alien life yet in an exoplanet more than 120 light-years away from Earth.
Calling the hints “exciting” Professor Nikku Madhusudhan from the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy in the UK, said that “the signal came through strong and clear.”
Using data from the next-generation James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Madhusudhan and team detected the chemical fingerprints of dimethyl sulphide (DMS) and/or dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), in the atmosphere of the exoplanet K2-18b.
K2-18b is 8.6 times as massive and 2.6 times as large as Earth and lies 124 light-years away in the constellation of Leo.
DMS and DMDS are molecules from the same chemical family, and both are predicted to be biosignatures.
On Earth, these are only produced by life — primarily microbial life such as marine phytoplankton.
While an unknown chemical process may be the source of these molecules in K2-18b’s atmosphere, the results are the strongest evidence, yet that life may exist on a planet outside our solar system, said the team in the paper detailed in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
“We didn’t know for sure whether the signal we saw last time was due to DMS, but just the hint of it was exciting enough for us to have another look with JWST using a different instrument,” said Professor Madhusudhan, who led the research.
The earlier, tentative, inference of DMS was made using JWST’s NIRISS (Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph) and NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph) instruments, which together cover the near-infrared (0.8-5 micron) range of wavelengths. The new, independent observation used JWST’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) in the mid-infrared (6-12 micron) range.
Notably, the latest observations reached the ‘three-sigma’ level of statistical significance — meaning there is a 0.3 per cent probability that they occurred by chance.
To reach the accepted classification for scientific discovery, the observations would have to cross the five-sigma threshold, meaning there would be below a 0.00006 per cent probability they occurred by chance.
The researchers said between 16 and 24 hours of follow-up observation time with JWST may help them reach the all-important five-sigma significance.
The study showed that the concentrations of DMS and DMDS in K2-18b’s atmosphere are very different than on Earth. From below one part per billion by volume on Earth, they are estimated to be thousands of times stronger — over ten parts per million — on K2-18b.
“This could be the tipping point, where suddenly the fundamental question of whether we’re alone in the universe is one we’re capable of answering.”
“While the results are exciting, it’s vital to obtain more data before claiming that life has been found in another world,” Madhusudhan said.
James Webb is an international programme led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.
–IANS
rvt/
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
