EARTH-LIKE PLANET FOUND IN SOLAR SYSTEM BY JWST

Will life be challenging on planets resembling Earth's 'twin sisters'? Answers found through the discovery of the world's most powerful telescope. The search for other planets in the entire cosmos, similar to Earth, is underway. They are being explored through the 'James Webb Space Telescope' (JWST).

Illustration of an Earth-like exoplanet.

Earth-Like Planets: The world's most powerful telescope, the 'James Webb Space Telescope' (JWST), has discovered a young star, or let's say, a star near the Sun, with water and organic carbon molecules. The place where this star exists shows no signs of its formation. This suggests that exoplanets like Earth's twin sisters, also known as Earth-like exoplanets, could potentially form in the harshest environments of the universe. Some of these planets might even harbor life.

In fact, a team of researchers from the 'Max Planck Institute of Astronomy' (MPIA) in Germany conducted a study of the NGC 6357 region in the cosmos with the help of the JWST. It is located 5,000 light-years away from Earth and is a region where stars are born. The team was investigating the chemical environment around stars and whether there is a possibility of life on planets in their orbits, known as exoplanets.

What did the study reveal?

According to Space News reports, researchers explained that the stars forming here produce solar flares, ultraviolet radiation, and dust. This creates a highly hazardous environment in the surrounding areas. However, even after all these challenges, molecules conducive to the development of life could exist on planets forming around these stars. Water and carbon dioxide are such molecules that could be present on these planets.

Maria C. Ramirez Tanus, an astronomer at MPIA and the lead author of the study, said that the results are quite surprising. They indicate that in the most extreme environments of our galaxy, conditions conducive to the formation of Earth-like planets and the emergence of life may exist. The planet discovered in NGC 6357 is named XUE-1, and it has a high level of radiation, making it difficult for humans to survive without protective gear.

XUE-1 orbits a star similar to our Sun but is much more dangerous. This leads to various hazardous activities on the planet, including radiation. The star around which XUE-1 revolves is comparable to our Sun, but it poses significant dangers. As a result, the planet experiences various dangerous activities, including radiation.