According to NDTV, Scientists have found water for the first time in the atmosphere of an exoplanet with Earth-like temperatures on Wednesday, September 11.
K2-18b, a planet outside our solar system, is eight times the mass of Earth and twice as big.
The exoplanet orbits in its star’s habitable zone, at a distance that is neither too far nor too close, meaning water can exist in liquid form.
Co-author of the study, which was published in a journal named Nature Astronomy, told AFP:
This planet is the best candidate we have outside our solar system. We cannot assume that it has oceans on the surface but it is a real possibility.
Out of the 4,000 exoplanets detected to date, this is the first one to combine a rocky surface and also possess an atmosphere with water.
Most exoplanets don’t have atmospheres and are giants balls of gas.
K2-18b orbits a red dwarf star that is approximately 110 light years or a million billion kilometres away and falls in the Leo constellation of the Milky Way.
ARIEL, a space-based stargazing instrument will canvas some 1000 exoplanets and is slated for a 2028 launch.
With more than 4,000 exoplanets detected, there is a future possibility that life can exist beyond the realms of planet Earth.
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