Space agencies are racing against time to find extraterrestrial life. Several scientific instruments have been developed by scientists to detect extraterrestrial life. These instruments lashed with high technologies have detected several potential signatures of life beyond Earth. But scientists are yet to arrive at a conclusive result. The Ohio State University has said that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) could provide a fresh window to advance the search. The JWST will be launched in October. The telescope is being developed by NASA. The agency said that it is a high-tech and extremely powerful scientific equipment developed by any agency so far.
JWST will succeed the decades-old Hubble Space Telescope which was launched in 1990. The research tool is still operational in the low Earth orbit, providing a window for making some incredible discoveries. It is the largest most versatile instrument ever launched by humans into space. Scientists expect that the JWST will help them in detecting ammonia around gas dwarf planets. Any evidence about the presence of ammonia will be crucial in detecting signs of life on other planets. Ammonia is found in nature, the human body, animals, and plants. It is an essential compound for making proteins and other molecules in humans and animals. The compound is formed from bacterial processes in soil.
Scientists believe that gas dwarf planets could foster life. These gas dwarf planets are also known as super-Earths or mini-Neptunes. They exist within the solar system. Scientists have struggled for long in determining whether these gas dwarf planets’ atmospheres contain ammonia. Caprice Phillips who has research interests in exoplanets said that realistic signs of life could be detected in the next 5-10 years on other planets. She said that JWST is more powerful than the Hubble. Its technological capabilities will respond to atmospheric conditions and varying clouds. The new telescope will be placed into orbit atop Ariane 5 rocket in October. Scientists expect that JWST will bring some unknown facts about the universe to humanity.
