The latest observation by the James Webb Space Telescope in the United States has revealed that the atmosphere of an exoplanet contains methane and carbon dioxide, providing new clues for the search for extraterrestrial life. According to a press release released on the official website of NASA on the 11th, this planet named K2-18b was first discovered in 2015, approximately 120 light-years away from Earth, with a mass 8.6 times that of Earth. It orbits a red dwarf star K2-18, located in its habitable zone. The communique said that by analyzing the composition of methane and carbon dioxide in the planet's atmosphere, researchers believe that it may belong to a class of planets called "hydrogen seas", where the atmosphere is rich in hydrogen and the surface is widely covered by the ocean. Analysis also shows that there may be dimethyl sulfide in the planet's atmosphere, which is only produced by organisms on Earth. Most of the dimethyl sulfide in the Earth's atmosphere is emitted by phytoplankton in the ocean. Astronomer Niku Madhusan from the University of Cambridge, UK, who participated in this study, said that in the past, efforts to search for life in exoplanets have mainly focused on smaller rocky planets, but larger "hydrogen sea" planets are more conducive to atmospheric observation. Madhusan said that this discovery represents a promising step forward in the search for extraterrestrial life and the study of the "hydrogen sea" planet. (New News Agency)
Edit：Hu Sen Ming Responsible editor：Li Xi
Source：XinhuaNet
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