The James Webb Space Telescope begins today, April 26, observations of an exoplanet believed to be a water world.
Located 124 light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Leo is the red dwarf K2-18, a star about half the size of the Sun. Orbiting it is a planet called K2-18b.
Observations made last year of the exoplanet by James Webb led the research team that analyzed the data collected by the telescope to conclude that it is possible that the surface of K2-18b is covered by a global ocean that is hundreds of kilometers or even thousands of kilometers deep.
The observations indicated the presence in K2-18b’s atmosphere of a gas called dimethyl ether or dimethyl sulfide (DMS). “On Earth, gas has only one source. It is produced only by life mainly phytoplankton in marine environments,” says NASA.
James Webb’s new exoplanet observations will focus on definitively identifying the DMS.
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