The search for extraterrestrial life continues faithfully. Astronomers use NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, in addition to… European Space Agency‘s XMM-Newtonthey contribute some new research to the research process – and hope to lay the foundation for future projects.
Researchers use Chandra To study radiation emitted from nearby stars To determine whether Exoplanet Orbiting those stars could be habitable. X-rays and ultraviolet radiation, at high enough levels, can damage an exoplanet’s atmosphere, reducing the possibility of supporting life (as we know it, anyway).
“Without X-ray characterization of the host star, we will miss a key element about whether the planet is truly habitable,” astronomer Brianna Bender of California Polytechnic University, who led this exoplanet study, said in a report.
. “We need to look at what kind of X-ray doses these planets receive.”
So far, the team has studied 57 nearby stars, analyzing the brightness and energies of their X-ray emissions, as well as how quickly their X-ray output changes due to stellar flares. “We’ve set the stars where Habitable area“Earth’s X-ray environment is similar to or even milder than the one in which Earth evolved,” research scientist Sarah Peacock of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, said in the statement. “Such conditions may play a key role in maintaining an atmosphere as rich as that found on Earth.”
Related: NASA’s space telescope has discovered an Earth-sized exoplanet, and it’s “not a bad place” to look for life
While only some of the 57 stars have known habitable exoplanets, there are likely many more habitable exoplanets out there, but we haven’t found them yet. To be clear, we have discovered more than 5,500 exoplanets, but there are approximately 10,000 other planetary candidates under evaluation. Ultimately, there are possibilities Billions Of the exoplanets only in Milky Way Single.
“We don’t know how many Earth-like planets will be detected in images using the next generation of telescopes, but we know that observation time “It will be precious and very difficult to obtain,” he said. Astrobiologist Edward Schwieterman of the University of California, Riverside. “This X-ray data helps refine and prioritize the target list and may allow the first image of an Earth-like planet to be obtained more quickly.”