Water is essential for life and is also significant in the search for extraterrestrial life. The presence of water, water vapor, or ice is considered important by the scientific community, and telescopes are often directed towards celestial objects that may contain these elements.
Recently, the James Webb Space Telescope used its Near-Infrared Spectrograph to detect signals of water vapor around a rocky planet called GJ 486 that orbits around its star. However, the planet is too close to its star to be in the habitable zone, and the temperature on its surface is an average of 430 degrees Celsius.
If the detected water vapor is actually associated with the planet, it could indicate that the planet has an atmosphere, which would be a significant discovery as there hasn’t been a definite discovery of atmosphere around a rocky exoplanet yet. However, scientists are still trying to determine whether the water vapor is associated with the planet or the star itself, specifically with the cooler spots of the star.
Sarah Moran of the University of Arizona in Tucson, who is the lead author of the study, explained that they see a signal, and it’s almost certainly due to water. However, they can’t determine if that water is part of the planet’s atmosphere, meaning the planet has an atmosphere, or if they’re seeing a water signature coming from the star.
Kevin Stevenson of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, also commented that water vapor in an atmosphere on a hot rocky planet would represent a significant breakthrough for exoplanet science. But he emphasized the need to be cautious and ensure that the star is not the source of the water vapor signal.
The discovery of water vapor around a rocky exoplanet, if confirmed to be associated with the planet, would represent a significant development in our understanding of exoplanets and their potential to support life. However, further observations and analysis are necessary to confirm this finding.
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