Living in an enormous space, people have always asked the question, “Are we alone?” Space organizations such as NASA have been searching for an answer for decades. In 2015, The Kepler Space Telescope discovered an exoplanet nearly twice the size of Earth and about 120 light years away. You might ask, “Why should we care about this planet?” Well, it's the unique properties of this exoplanet that make it special.
You might notice that this planet looks like our planet! The investigations and discoveries made by the James Webb Space Telescope(JWST) in 2023 attracted the attention of scientists. But what were these discoveries?
JWST detected water vapors in the atmosphere which could mean that K2-18b has a hydrogen-rich atmosphere and an ocean-covered surface, which indicates that the planet can have or involve life in it! Not only this, but the investigation also informed us that the planet contains methane and carbon dioxide gases, which also can create life forms. Finally, K2-18b’s location is in its system habitable zone, just like our planet.
However, we can’t jump to a conclusion just yet. There must be some doubts about the life on this planet. The planet's large size suggests it contains a large layer of freezing ice, much like Neptune, with a thinner hydrogen-rich atmosphere and an ocean surface. Despite these harsh conditions, this planet remains a promising candidate for the search for life, offering the potential for further research and exploration.
In conclusion, these discoveries are just the starting point for humanity's search for life. As technology develops rapidly, astronomers will continue to find many ways to answer the questions we all ask. While there is still much mystery for us to explore in our universe, the search will continue. With planets like K2-18b out there waiting to be explored, the future of space exploration looks incredibly exciting.