The search for extraterrestrial life continues relentlessly. NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and European Space Agencyof XMM-Newtonhopes to provide new research into the search and lay the foundation for future projects.
The researchers Chandra Studying nearby radiation Performer Check if Exoplanets Planets orbiting these stars may be habitable: too high levels of X-rays and ultraviolet light could damage exoplanet atmospheres, making them less likely to be able to support life (at least as we know it).
“Without characterizing the x-rays from the host star, we’re missing a key component of whether a planet is truly habitable,” said Breanna Binder, an astronomer at California Polytechnic State University who led the exoplanet study.
“We need to know how much X-ray radiation these planets are receiving.”
So far, the team has studied 57 nearby stars, analysing the brightness and energy of their X-ray emission, and how quickly their X-ray output changes due to stellar flares. Habitable Zone“The X-ray radiation environment on Mars is similar to or milder than the environment in which Earth evolved,” Sarah Peacock, a research scientist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, said in a statement. “Such conditions may play an important role in maintaining a rich, Earth-like atmosphere.”
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Although only a small fraction of the 57 stars have known habitable exoplanets, there are probably many more that have yet to be discovered. By comparison, we have discovered over 5,500 exoplanets, with nearly 10,000 more candidates in the evaluation stage. Ultimately, Billions Exoplanets Milky Way Galaxy alone.
“We don’t know how many Earth-like planets we will discover with the next generation of telescopes, but we can learn from observing them. time Those documents are valuable and will be very difficult to obtain.” Astrobiologist “These X-ray data will help us refine and prioritize our target list and may enable us to get our first images of Earth-like planets sooner,” said Edward Schwieterman of the University of California, Riverside.