Africa-Press – Namibia. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has discovered methane and carbon dioxide molecules on a a world eight times heavier than Earth, and orbiting a star 120 light years away, the US space agency announced in a release.
“A new investigation with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope into K2-18 b, an exo-planet 8.6 times as massive as Earth, has revealed the presence of carbon-bearing molecules including methane and carbon dioxide,” the Monday release said.
Webb’s discovery adds to recent studies suggesting that K2-18 b could be a Hycean exoplanet, one which has the potential to possess a hydrogen-rich atmosphere and a water ocean-covered surface, the release said.
K2-18 b orbits the cool dwarf star K2-18 in the habitable zone and lies 120 light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo, the release said.
The suggestion that the sub-Neptune K2-18 b could be a Hycean exoplanet is intriguing, as some astronomers believe that these worlds are promising environments to search for evidence for life on exoplanets, according to the release.
For More News And Analysis About Namibia Follow Africa-Press
