For centuries, humans have been wondering if anywhere on Earth is the only home for life. Earth has nurtured everything from unicellular organisms to complex beings, but its existence in the cosmos is just a tiny fraction in the timeline of the universe. Thus, many argue that while microbial life may be common, intelligent civilizations may be extremely rare. Looking out into the big picture is the best way to address the question at hand. The planets orbiting sun like stars turn out to be the best candidates for long lifespans and steady conditions. Within 30 light-years, there are approximately 60 such stars and which would be among the most relevant in the search for life.
Trial of Discovering Earth like Planets
Earth has been among astronomy’s major challenges despite years of advancement, to detect planets similar. When we consider that stars are millions of times brighter than the faint glow of nearby planets, separating these two becomes extremely difficult. Detection of water vapor, a key signature for identifying habitability, would require those massively big infrared telescopes of at least 20 meters in diameter.
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Earth based observatories cannot reach the required clarity, while space wonders like the James Webb Space Telescope even fall short. Ideas ranging from fleets of smaller telescopes to gigantic star shades have been contemplated; each option emplaced the need for extravagant engineering or impossible quantities of fuel.
One Way Ticket for Rectangular Telescope
The scientists are proposing a telescope with a one by 20 meter rectangular mirror. Unlike circular telescopes, this elongated design will allow for high-resolution imaging in one direction; then, allow the telescope to rotate and map in different orientations.
Operated in infrared, like Webb, it could very efficiently disentangle planetary signals from the glare of their host stars. In fact, the researchers estimate that with such a telescope, half of all potentially Earth like planets in the 30 light-year range could be detected in just three years. What is most exciting is that the engineering builds from currently available technology no need for some monumental leap.
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Closer to a New Earth
If every sun like star had one Earth sized planet, then the telescope should find about 30 promising candidates. These could then follow up in atmospheric studies for chemical fingerprints like oxygen, pointing strongly toward biological activity. Someday, humanity may reach out to these most likely candidates with probes and take pictures of them standing on their surfaces.
“As astrophysicist Heidi Newberg has pointed out, a telescope the size of the Webb in every other way but shape may give us our first sights of another habitable world.” The dream of an Earth 2.0 may be nearer than we think.
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