Scientists are using the powerful James Webb Space Telescope to search for signs of life on the exoplanet Proxima B.
Light signals from the planet could be the final piece of the puzzle to prove that it hosts alien life. With more than a quadrillion planets in our galaxy alone, the odds of life existing on a planet or moon in space are high. This opens up the possibility that a technologically advanced alien civilization may already be there.
Humans have long been interested in the possibility of life beyond Earth, and the discovery of Proxima B, a planet similar in size to Earth and located nearby, could be the key to answering all our questions.
The James Webb Space Telescope will be the first instrument capable of providing definitive information about Proxima B and other exoplanets. Before the telescope was built, scientists could only use methods such as transit photometry and Doppler spectroscopy to search.
Proxima B is 4.24 light years away from Earth, and is one of the closest exoplanets to be discovered. It orbits the star Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Sun. Proxima B is located in the star’s habitable zone, and scientists have concluded that water could exist on its surface.
What’s special about Proxima B is that artificial light has been detected on the dark side of the planet, leading scientists to suspect that a civilization more intelligent than us could exist there.
However, studying such a distant and inaccessible planet is a big challenge. The James Webb Space Telescope will help detect the light and analyze the atmosphere of Proxima B, looking for signs of life.
Proxima B shares some similarities with Earth, including a mass approximately 1.27 times that of Earth and a location in the habitable zone.
However, because it is tidally locked, one side of the planet always faces its star, while the other side is always in shadow. This creates harsh living conditions, including high levels of X-rays and ultraviolet radiation.
In addition, a strange radio signal emitted from Proxima B was detected by an observatory in Australia, raising many hypotheses about the possibility of intelligent life.
To reach Proxima B, an ambitious project called Starshot is being implemented, with the goal of sending a nano-spacecraft using lasers to reach 20% the speed of light, reducing the journey time from thousands of years to just two centuries.
The discovery of Proxima B, along with other planets like Kepler-452b and Kepler-186f, has shown that Earth-like planets can exist in the universe and are potentially habitable. However, there is much more to discover. With Proxima B being the closest star to Earth, monitoring and studying this planet will be an exciting journey.
