Our Universe
2022
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Mar 9, 2021 · It begins with the rate of star formation in the galaxy and the fraction of stars that have planets, leading step-by-step through the portion of planets that support life and – most speculatively – to the existence and durability of detectable, technological civilizations.
The ultimate goal of NASA’s exoplanet program is to find unmistakable signs of current life on a planet beyond Earth. How soon that can happen depends on two unknowns: the prevalence of life in the galaxy and how lucky we get as we take those first, tentative, exploratory steps.
Apr 22, 2024 · Or it might be found among the “ocean worlds” in the outer solar system – Jupiter’s moon, Europa, Saturn’s Enceladus or one of the other moons of gas giants that hide vast oceans beneath shells of ice.
Sep 29, 2023 · Nasa's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) recently detected tantalising hints at life on a planet outside our Solar System - and it has many more worlds in its sights.
Institute for Theory and Computation scientists at the CfA work on identifying the exoplanets that are most likely to harbor life. The orbit must lie in the “habitable zone” where the exoplanet’s surface is just the right temperature for liquid water to exist.
Jul 14, 2014 · Many scientists believe we are not alone in the universe. It’s probable, they say, that life could have arisen on at least some of the billions of planets thought to exist in our galaxy alone — just as it did here on planet Earth.
Oct 12, 2022 · Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe. Artist’s rendering of NASA’s Cassini spacecraft observing a sunset through Titan’s hazy atmosphere. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
