NASA has unveiled tentative evidence of life on a distant planet, as they report the potential presence of an oceanic body. Scientists have astounded the world with their groundbreaking revelation of an expansive water ocean on an enormous exoplanet situated many light years away from our home planet.
The James Webb Space Telescope, courtesy of NASA, has probed the enigmatic K2-18 b, a colossal exoplanet dwarfing Earth by 8.6 times in mass. The investigation has unveiled the existence of carbon-rich compounds, such as methane and carbon dioxide.
This discovery augments recent research, suggesting K2-18 b's classification as a Hycean exoplanet, characterised by the prospect of hosting a hydrogen-rich atmosphere and a surface veiled in oceanic waters. K2-18 b resides comfortably within the habitable zone of a cool dwarf star, denominated K2-18, nestled approximately 120 light-years away in the Leo constellation.
These exoplanets, spanning the size spectrum between Earth and Neptune, inhabit uncharted territories outside our solar system, eliciting ongoing scientific inquiry into their unique attributes. Also Read: NASA shares new images of ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 NASA's press release mentioned, "The prevalence of methane and carbon dioxide, combined with the absence of ammonia, bolsters the theory of an underwater world enveloped by a hydrogen-rich atmosphere on K2-18 b.
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