Searching for alien life is something that NASA has been trying to find for years (and, honestly, something that drives us crazy, those of us who love theories). Well, now they have just found a “super Earth” but frozen, about 40 light years away, that not only seems to have an atmosphere, but could even have liquid water (and you know what it means to have water, right?!!)
The planet is called LHS 1140 b, as you can see NASA is always super original with names. Well, this planet now has the entire scientific world on edge, they believe that under that layer of ice there could exist an ocean capable of sustaining conditions similar to those we have here on Earth. As lovers of alien theories, we know that liquid water and atmosphere are the perfect ingredients for there to be hope of life.
Extraterrestrial life?
There are thousands of cataloged exoplanets, but almost all fall in the category of “curiosities that are far away”. This one, for whatever reason, has all the attention because they believe it is a good candidate to find life outside Earth, it could be habitable because of the distance it has from its star (it is a very calm red dwarf) and they believe that 20 percent of its mass is water.
Imagine a world where the illuminated side has an open ocean, while the dark side is a giant block of ice. Like a kind of white and blue planet, a yin and yang.
The atmosphere is key
Much of the enthusiasm comes from the fact that the first analyses point to LHS 1140 b possibly having an atmosphere rich in nitrogen, a super useful ingredient to stabilize temperatures and that, on Earth, is directly linked to life.
The team is also looking for carbon dioxide, because that gas helps measure how warm the planet can be and if the water could remain liquid without freezing completely, if they find both, we could be facing the first real possibility of finding life.
A frozen world, but not dead
Of all the theories that have been said, the most exciting says that LHS 1140 b could be a snowy planet with an internal ocean, that is, a layer of ice above, water below, heat coming from the interior, and an atmosphere that acts like a blanket.
What would those creatures be like?
Erase that image of tall green men that Hollywood has always proposed to us, because the possibility of life does not mean they are anthropomorphic, not even that they are advanced civilizations (they would have found us already, right?) but that the possibility is that they are microbes, even so and even if they are tiny, it would change history completely.
Can it be confirmed?
It is the most complicated part of all, detecting atmospheres in these temperate planets is almost impossible. For now, scientists estimate that they will need one more year of observations, at minimum, to identify the correct gases and say seriously if this planet is habitable or only looks like it.
What would happen if it is confirmed?
If it is proven that there is liquid water and a “compatible” atmosphere, we would be facing a historic moment, almost at the level of truly proving that we are not alone. It would mean that life is not something exclusive to Earth and that it can repeat itself in other places only when the ideal conditions are met.
Now they have to look for biosignatures (chemical signals) to know if there is something that is breathing or emitting gases (oxygen, methane or carbon dioxide), this way they will be able to identify if there is something that lives.
Are there more planets like this?
Yes, they are called “habitable” and there are many theories about them, but this one has something special and they believe it has the potential to say “there is life here”. Every time closer to answering that question of “are we alone?”