Eyeball planet
A new discovery may change our concepts about life in space! The James Webb Space Telescope, one of our greatest tools for observing the universe, has shown that a distant planet called LHS 1140 b may be more controversial than we imagined.
At first, scientists thought the planet, located about 40 light-years from Earth, was just a smaller version of Neptune, the massive gas planet.
But recent analyzes have revealed that LHS 1140 b is not just a small gas planet, but rather a “super-Earth” in size much larger than our Earth, and may contain an atmosphere and perhaps liquid water!
The controversy here concerns the concept of a “great earth.” This planet may be one of the best candidates for searching for alien life, because it is located in the "goldilocks zone" around a red dwarf star, meaning it is neither too close nor too far from its star to sustain liquid water.
Even more exciting, analyzes suggest that LHS 1140 b may be entirely covered in liquid oceans, making it similar to a giant snowball or icy planet.
If these claims prove true, we may be on the cusp of a discovery that could change our understanding of the existence of life in the universe.
However, there are many questions that still need to be answered: Does the planet have an Earth-like atmosphere? Could it contain large amounts of liquid water? Scientists are looking to the coming years for answers, But until then, LHS 1140 b remains an important topic in space research.
Source: websites