Humankind has always been fascinated by the concept of alien life. Researchers are searching for habitable planets in our galaxy in an effort to discover at least a cluster of bacteria that evolved outside our planet, a clue that we are not the only ones in this corner of the universe and that our planet is not the only place where lifeforms can flourish.
Why Are We Searching for New Homes?
One of the main reason for which scientists are constantly searching for habitable planets in our galaxy is the fact that Earth may not remain habitable forever. Our sun will not always be kind to us, and the natural resources are depleting faster than they can be replaced.
What Will We Do When Our Sun Goes Supernova?
There are various stages in a star’s long life. Throughout the billions of years of its existence, a sun goes from young to yellow, to red. The latter will cease to be compatible with life on Earth.
When our sun turns into a red star, the amount of light and heat it emits will exponentially increase, making our oceans boil and turning Earth into a burning wasteland where not even microbes will survive.
However, such a heat wave will start warming up the frozen waters of other planets or moons. Satellites like Jupiter’s Enceladus will transform in watery paradises where life will prosper for an additional few millions of years before the Sun goes Supernova and destroys our solar system.
What Did Scientists Find So Far?
It seems that astronomers managed to find 23 red dwarves in our galaxy, each surrounded by a number of planets. In every solar system in the center of which there is an aforementioned red star, there is something called a “habitable zone.” This is the area in which the light and heat emanated by the sun affects the planets.
However, not all planets that are located in the habitable zone can actually harbor life. Take Venus for example. While the planet receives light and warmth from our sun, life cannot flourish on its surface due to acid rain and high amounts of space radiation.
The answer lies in the balance between the energy that a planet receives from a star and the thickness of its atmosphere.
Regarding the life forms that scientists are frantically searching for, Arthur C. Clarke, the author of the Space Odyssey once said “Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.”
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