JAMES WEBB SPOTS POSSIBLE SIGNS OF LIFE ON DISTANT PLANET

今日の英語の習慣化の題材は...

久々、天体のお話。 NASAのJames Webb展望鏡が遥か彼方に、生命の存在する天体を発見したと言うコラムから。

週末を遥か彼方の宇宙を夢見て、読んでみてください！

Hycean Dreams
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has spotted an early yet tantalizing piece of evidence that an exoplanet some 120 light years away could be covered in a massive ocean — that's possibly harboring life.

The telescope detected a molecule called dimethyl sulfide (DMS) — which only living organisms can produce, at least here on Earth — on the planet, which is dubbed K2-18 b.

Researchers also identified methane and carbon dioxide in the planet's atmosphere, indicating it could be a "Hycean" planet, one which is covered in an ocean and has a hydrogen-rich atmosphere.

It was first discovered by NASA's K2 mission back in 2015, but only thanks to the James Webb's detailed observations have researchers been able to reveal the presence of these molecules — and the excitement surrounding the discovery is palpable.