From preliminary evidence Inhabited planets to a sentence for eyebrows Interstellar comet Perhaps not that it seems that the possibility of life outside our solar system has long tends to scientists and the public. But experts say that et will be found if we look for in our backyard.
The prospect was lively on Wednesday, when scientists announced that the probability increased, that the sixth largest moon Saturn could be inhabited After the study, it is shown Encladus erupts a wider range of carbon -based substances than previously known.
“I really like Encladus, because he has all the conditions that are in the same place at that time for life to develop and flourish,” said Dr. Caroline Frissinet from the French National Center for Scientific Research.
In addition to complex organic molecules and a deep ocean of liquid water, Freissinet notes that the Saturnin Moon is considered have hydrothermal ventilation holes – Providing an energy source – with pH, salinity and ocean temperature within the boundaries that are considered suitable for life.
While the Frissinet said that scientists should continue to look for life outside the solar system, she noted that the approach sets problems – not least, that it is based on the detection of chemical signatures in the atmosphere of the planet, which can be associated with life.
“He must change the entire planet so that you can see it on an exoplanet,” she said. In other words, local pockets of life that do not make such large -scale changes can be missed. ”
And there is another difficulty: “You cannot look for a past life on an exoplanet,” Freissinet said.
Moreover, the exoplanet must go in front of its instrument star in order to analyze its atmosphere. And even if preliminary evidence is found, they can be difficult to interpret or confirm.
Dr. Natalie Kabral, Director of the Center for Karl Sagan in Seti [Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence] Institute, agreed.
“The problem with exoplanets is that we know little about the environment,” she said.
On the contrary, nearby bodies, such as the sixth largest moon of Saturn, which is located 1.27 billion km from the Earth, in Situ can be explored.
NASA and European Space The agency (ESA) plan missions for Encladus, and Freissinet is working on tools to look for molecules on the Saturnin Moon.
But this is not the only body outside the Earth where life could be hidden in our solar system. Among the other best applicants – Europe, the moon of Jupiter, which, like Erandus, is considered an ocean under an ice crust.
“For me, in the solar system, this is where we will find life,” said Frissette.
Experts quickly emphasize that this is not a case of studying our celestial neighbors instead of exoplanets, but rather that they complement each other, and carbol notes that the solar system acts as a “natural laboratory” for data collection. This can be used to test theories and create models that can help people understand the potential inhabitability of new types of the world identified by exoplanets.
“I think that you look at our own backyard-playful option,” said Dr. Jern Helbert, the head of the solar system section to ESA, adding Encladus, is a vivid example of the body showing all the signs of inhabited, which scientists are also looking for in exoplanets.
“Now, if we find that there are really signs of life [on Enceladus] This makes the search outside our solar system even more exciting, ”he said.
“If we go and find that, despite all the conditions for habitability, we will not find any signs of life, this means that we may need to rethink the definition of habitability, or at least reconsider the likelihood of life in a potentially inhabited world.”
Freissinet said that the study of neighboring organs may matter for the possibility of life of further life.
“It is interesting that if we find life where there is still in the solar system … This means that this is not by chance,” she said. “This means that it is everywhere in the galaxy.”
