A discovery that holds with the breath suspended and that will certainly lead to look again at the space with a mixed curiosity for leave: on planet K2-18b In fact, traces of life have been found, a news that could revolutionize many scenarios. The most optimists speak of it as the most promising discovery ever made to date. But let’s go in order.
K2-18 B, also known as EPIC 201912552 B, is a exoplanet. The celestial body is located 124 million light years from the earth, and orbit around the red dwarf star K2-18, from which it takes its name. There discovery It is quite recent, since it dates back to 2015, and it was possible thanks to the images transmitted by the Kepler space telescope. According to the data collected, it is a planet about eight times the mass of the earth, with a 33 -day orbit. Suspicions about the fact that he could host the life They derive from the fact that K2-18 B is located in a habitable area of the red dwarf star. Life forms can therefore be found on the celestial body, or it could host it in the future.
Traces of Dimetylsolfuroa sulphurous compound produced by seaweed. Not only that. In 2023 the presence of methane And carbon dioxide within its atmosphere. It would have been the use of the James Webb spatial telescope that makes the difference. A group of Anglo-American researchers have in fact been able to identify the chemical compounds so important to allow life: they are, in jargon, “biosignatures”, obvious signals of extraterrestrial life.
“What we observe at this stage are indications of a possible biological activity outside the sun system. To be Franco, I think this is the case closest to a feature that we can attribute to life“Dr. Nikku Madhusudhanastrophysicist of the University of Cambridge.
Therefore, well that there is enthusiasm, but before making certain statements it will be necessary to wait for the results of further exams and observations. “This is a crucial moment.
It is the first time that humanity sees potential biofrue on a planet located in the habitable area of its star“added the author of the study published in the magazine Astrophysical Journal Letters.