Scientists have great news: there really is life on Earth. This is not a joke, but the result of an important study for the search for life in the universe. The American-European scientific team has confirmed the suitability of the Earth for life experimentally, using a model of a future space telescope, which they plan to launch into space to search for exoplanets like ours. The project was named LIFE (Large Interferometer For Exoplanets).
The study, which scientists published in The Astronomical Journal, reveals plans to create a telescope that will consist of five separate spacecraft that will work synchronously. The LIFE telescope will collect infrared radiation in the atmosphere of exoplanets, allowing scientists to analyze their chemical compositions.
To conduct the experiment, scientists created a simulator of the future telescope with a virtual set of characteristics close to real ones, and then simulated a synthetic version of the Earth and placed it very far from the observatory. The purpose of the experiment is to investigate biosignatures, chemicals in the atmosphere that indicate the presence of life. Among them are nitrous oxide and methylated halogens.
“These biogenic gases are most consistent with a productive global photosynthetic biosphere,” the scientists note.
The main goal of the project is to study 30-50 Earth-sized exoplanets in detail and determine their possible suitability for life. The study will focus on systems at least 65 light-years away from us.
Having carried out successful experiments with synthetic Earth, scientists hope that the LIFE telescope will help to reveal and evaluate the biosphere of exoplanets. Answers to questions about our lonely place in space can become a reality thanks to this ambitious scientific project.
Earlier, we reported that an error was found in Drake equation about extraterrestrial civilizations.
According to universetoday.com
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