[ad_1]
Humanity has yet to find life outside of Earth, but this can be attributed to the fact that it is not looking in the right place.
A study has found that rogue planets, those that do not orbit stars, may be ripe to harbor life in “Earth-like oceans.”
The study, which emerges from Florida Institute of Technology astrobiologist Manasvi Lingam, reveals that rogue planets may have conditions for life that lie between the cold of space and the planet’s core.
Space would be too cold for potential oceans to remain liquid, but the planet’s biosphere would be protected from the cold by a layer of ice.
The planet’s core would heat it up, creating oceans similar to those on Earth.
“We usually think of planets associated with stars, like Mars, that could support life, but in reality these types of life-supporting planets can just float out there in the vast void with a rich biosphere,” he said. Lingham in a statement. .
The researcher believes that for every solar system discovered, there could be around 30 to 40 rogue planets floating in space.
So far, scientists have found more than 3,000 star systems with orbiting planets, according to NASA.
Read more
Some scientists have speculated that there could be tens of billions of solar systems in the Milky Way, and possibly as many as 100 billion solar systems in the universe.
A number of suspected rogue planets have been discovered in recent years, including one roaming roughly the size of Earth in the Milky Way.
In July, four “floating” planets were discovered by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope.
A 2019 study estimated that there could be as many as 50 billion rogue planets in the Milky Way alone, giving researchers a great opportunity to find celestial bodies with oceans similar to Earth’s.
Researchers will then uncover the types of extreme conditions life on Earth can experience, including low temperatures and low pressures, by examining microbes that don’t need sunlight to survive.
And it may one day be possible to visit these rogue planets, according to Lingham, who published a research paper on the subject in Advances in Space Research.
“You may be able to reach a rogue planet in a few decades, and instead of looking for other planets around the stars, this may be the best opportunity to study those planets. With a combination of gravitational aids and the right systems propulsion, you can reach the rogue planet, “Lingham added.” In about 20 years. Once you have a probe on the surface, the data can be sent back and it may take a few months to figure out what the surface looks like. . “
The study is featured in the September / October 2021 issue of Discover Magazine.
Source: Daily Mail
[ad_2]
Source link
