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Aliens: Distant exoplanets may contain water sources

tombud/Pixabay

Space agencies are continuously studying the entities that are beyond the Earth, including one of the biggest mysteries in space. A new report reveals that distant exoplanets may have sources of water.

One of the biggest mysteries when it comes to exploring space or celestial entities is if there is life outside Earth. Express reports that there may just be life outside Earth due to the fact that some exoplanets may contain water sources. Scientists analyzed the data of 19 exoplanets in the cosmos, studying the thermal and chemical compositions of each one. These exoplanets were of differing sizes, ranging from 10 times to 600 times the size of the Earth, also referred to as “Super Jupiters.”

The researchers found that the common factor all these exoplanets shared was water, however, the quantity of water in the planets were also limited. Cambridge Institute of Astronomy’s Dr. Nikku Madhusudhan stated that they have discovered the “first signs of chemical patterns in extra-terrestrial worlds.”

Dr. Madhusudhan and his team studied the biosignatures of these exoplanets to check the water vapor in each of their atmospheres. They found that out of the 19 exoplanets, 14 of them had water vapor, and six planets have a lot of potassium and sodium. But the factor that the researchers have noticed was the amount of oxygen - the exoplanets lacked oxygen compared to the other elements.

So the question remains on whether or not we will be able to find life beyond Earth as soon as next year. Space reports that experts do not think so. Interviewing experts from the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute, senior astronomer Seth Shostak said that finding aliens next year in 2020 will be unlikely to happen. Shostak went on to explain that looking for extraterrestrial beings is mostly done through checking nearby star systems for flashes of light or other indicators of extraterrestrial beings.

However, Shostak also said to the outlet that this could be successful at any time. Thus, there is no telling when we can be able to discover other beings beyond Earth. It may or may not happen, or it could happen in the coming decades, the latter being higher in probability.

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