Module 5 - The Search for Life

Another quick look at exoplanets

In 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to launch.  It is considered a successor to the Hubble Space Telescope and has exciting new capabilities, including being able to investigate the atmospheres of alien planets and determine their molecular composition.  One of the goals will be to search for planets only slightly larger than Earth and examine their atmospheres to see if any are Earth-like.  There is no doubt that this instrument will deliver many spectacular findings, but unfortunately finding an oxygen rich atmosphere does not equate to finding life.  To date, scientists have determined two separate mechanisms by which free oxygen can be produced without the existence of life.  If you are interested, check here  and here. 

If you would like to keep track of the latest in the search of planets that may harbor life, we suggest you consult this Catalog of Habitable Planets.  These are terrestrial (rocky) planets that orbit within their star's circumstellar habitable zone and with conditions roughly comparable to those of Earth.  On November 17, 2017 the total number of planets in that list was 53, with the distribution as shown in that screenshot.  Why not check to see what it is today?

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