Is Earth Habitable For Aliens, And Do They Know It?
Earth As An Alien Planet: Researchers have recently found out that the planned LIFE (Large Interferometer for Exoplanets) space mission can detect life on other planets by using our blue planet as a test subject.
But how will the proposed LIFE mission will find living organism or signs of life by using Earth as test subject. Well, the mission will position five small satellites in space, which will be strategically placed close to James Webb Space Telescope.
These satellites will function as a large telescope, capturing high-resolution images and detecting the thermal radiation emitted by exoplanets (planets outside our solar system). The will researchers then study the spectrum of light from the radiation that can be used to identify the composition of the planets and their atmospheres.
The LIFE Mission
According to the study published in The Astrophysical Journal, researchers came to a conclusion that how well the LIFE mission could investigate exoplanets. They are now came to a conclusion to treat Earth as if it was an exoplanet and saw if they could find “signs of life,” based on spectrum data.
As per the study, researchers used data from a NASA Earth observation satellite and generated emission spectra in the mid-infrared range, this is how LIFE could generate data.
A crucial aspect they needed to address was how a large space telescope would observe our Blue Planet from a significant distance in space. Due to the long distance, the planet would seem like a mere speck with no recognisable features. Hence, the spectrum data would represent averages contingent upon the telescope’s viewing angle and how long it captures the light.
The Different Scenarios
The researchers considered different scenarios such as two views from the Earth’s poles. One equatorial view of our blue planet. They also study the data recorded in the months of January and July to check for variations that could happen because of seasons.
During their study, the researchers were able to detect concentrations of the atmospheric gases such as methane, ozone, water droplets, and carbon dioxide in the infrared spectra of the planet’s atmosphere. The also got the data that showed the occurrence of liquid water on the surface. However, finding evidence of ozone and methane are significant as they are produced by the planet’s biosphere.
