So, astronomers just found a planet which actually has water on it. Well, actually it’s a star, and the water is in the atmosphere of it’s habitable zone.
But still, this is such a big deal you guys.
The scientists detected a tiny fraction of starlight that passed through our atmosphere, and then in an even tinier bit, saw that some of the light had been absorbed by water.
Once water is present, you only need a combination of certain gasses in order to create life. Which means, if conditions are met on this planet, we might genuinely be able to find… ALIENS.
For the first time, astronomers have peered into the atmosphere of an exoplanet — a planet outside our solar system — and discovered both water vapor and temperatures that could potentially support life, according to a new study. https://t.co/EZaWG5hyOz
— CNN (@CNN) September 12, 2019
Wait, Really? Aliens?
Not like, big green E.T like things (although I’m not ruling out the possibility). At this stage, by alien life we’re talking bacteria and other tiny microorganisms that can develop in the right chemical conditions.
The sad part of it is that we’ll still have to wait many years before we have the telescope technology to determine if this potential world, called K2-18b, even has the gases required to create life. But, the exciting part is the fact that water is a super rare resource that we never find anywhere, so seeing it on another planet is insane.
No, It’s Not A “Super Earth”
Of course, about 5 seconds after this incredible news dropped, everyone’s like “yas let’s move there!!11!! Now who cares if the climate is dying!!” Ummmm, no.
First of all, we are way behind in terms of tech to feasibly move a human colony onto another planet, so chill. We’re yet to even be able to see what gasses the planet has.
Welcome #k218b! Though more a mini-Neptune than super-Earth, 2x larger and 8x more massive than ours, a hydrogen atmosphere with water vapour range from 0.1%-50% (Earth is 4%) and crushing surface pressure, its hardly “potentially habitable”. @BBCPallabhttps://t.co/YHyuG2OTbt
— Jay Ashton-Butler (@jayashtonbutler) September 11, 2019
But more importantly, why do people think it’s more realistic to actually start a new human colony in space than to actually fix climate change?
We have so many climate change solutions, they’re just not being implemented by the big guys because they don’t immediately turn over the same profit as like, destroying the planet. Alternatives to fossil fuels, to plastic, to pollution all exist my dudes. We just gotta demand that they happen.
Image Sources: Twitter, Wikimedia Commons
