The detection of atmosphere for the first time around an exoplanet named GJ 1132b has excited the scientific world about the prospect of finding evidence of life outside the solar system.
The exoplanet orbits a dwarf star GJ 1132 that is some 39 light-years away from Earth.
Researchers say the Earth-like planet has a thick, watery atmosphere which exacerbates the scope for finding aliens and other forms of life.
The new study published in the Astronomical journal said that GJ 1132b has a radius 1.4 times than that of Earth and in mass exceeds 1.6 times. Unlike the planets in our solar system, it orbits a star that is dimmer than the sun.
Detection Of Life Is Too Early
The presence of the atmosphere has brightened the scope for the existence of life, but it remains to be confirmed. The discovery of atmosphere in the super-Earth exoplanet is a landmark in the hunt for extraterrestrial life.
"While this is not the detection of life on another planet, it's an important step in the right direction: The detection of an atmosphere around the super-Earth GJ 1132b marks the first time that an atmosphere has been detected around an Earth-like planet other than Earth itself," said John Southworth, a researcher at Keele University in the UK and first author.
However, life-forms are unlikely to survive on this hot world despite the presence of an atmosphere, as the surface temperature of GJ 1132b is around 370 degrees Celsius. According to John Southworth, the hottest temperature at which life could survive on Earth is at 120 degrees Celsius.
The presence of life on other planets is probed by scientists by examining the chemical composition of the atmosphere to know the imbalances triggered by living organisms.
Earth offers signs of life from the abundance of oxygen. According to Southworth, there is still a long way to go in detecting life on exoplanets. However, he is upbeat that the discovery of atmosphere is a milestone.
High Temperature Makes Probability Of Life Dim
To confirm the presence of life on the planet, chemical signatures in the celestial bodies are studied — especially the molecules in the planet's atmosphere where light is absorbed in varied ways.
The new planet was found to be having a thick atmosphere which may be containing steam, methane, or a combination of both. There is a high probability the planet may be a 'water world' with the atmosphere containing hot steam.
Exoplanet's Similarity With Venus
The planet GJ 1132b was discovered in 2015 and dubbed as a potential twin of Venus considering the similarity of a rocky world and high temperature at the surface.
Spotted in the Vela constellation, the detection of GJ 1132b was enabled by the 2.2-m ESO/MPG telescope of the European Southern Observatory in Chile, where researchers noted variations in brightness as the planet and atmosphere were absorbing starlight when passing before the host star. The research team had scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy.
Commenting on the research, Marek Kukula the public astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich called it a good proof of concept.
