Sulfur may be a new tool to find alien life

Astronomers have identified sulfur as a potentially important indicator in narrowing down searches for life on other planets. Sulfur itself does not necessarily indicate habitability, but a significant concentration of sulfur dioxide in the planet’s atmosphere suggests that the planet is likely to be uninhabitable, and researchers exclude it from further consideration. You can do it.

Discovering extraterrestrial life is one of the most sought after endless purposes in modern astronomy. But this is a formidable challenge. James Webb Space Telescope is unlikely to detect atmospheric gases (organisms produced on nearby planets). Similarly, future habitable world observatory will have a limited number of You can only evaluate habitable deplanets.

One of the main obstacles faced by astronomers is the typically faint nature of the biosignature spectrum. To address this, they focus on the possibility that the planets will host life, particularly with the presence of water vapor in the atmosphere. A planet with considerable water vapor may be likely to support life.

This concept is encapsulated in habitable zones around the star where the planet receives the appropriate amount of radiation. Not too little to freeze all the water, not much to boil it. In our solar system, Venus is near the inner edge of a habitable zone, with surface temperatures above 800 degrees Fahrenheit under a dense atmosphere, whereas Mars is primarily outside the zone, and The water is largely trapped in polar ice caps and reservoirs.

However, detecting only water poses challenges. For example, distinguishing between Earth and Venus based solely on the atmospheric spectrum is difficult due to similarities when searching for water vapor alone.

In a study published in the Journal Science Advances recently, a team of astronomers identified another potentially useful indicator gas to distinguish between habitable and non-resident worlds. Warm and wet planets like Earth contain minimal sulfur dioxide as they are washed away from the atmosphere by rain. Conversely, Venus can hardly detect sulfur dioxide. This is because ultraviolet rays from the sun convert it into hydrogen sulfide in the upper atmosphere and drive it downwards.

Planets orbiting the red star present another scenario. These stars emit minimal UV rays and allow sulfur dioxide to last in the upper atmosphere of a dry, unmanned planet. Red Dwarf is the most common type of star in the galaxy, and is of particular interest as many nearby systems, such as Proxima Centauri and Trapist-1, are host planets around Red Dwarf, and is a future It creates a major target for search.

This new approach, which includes sulfur dioxide, helps eliminate potentially life-rich planets, rather than identifying potentially life-rich planets. When significant sulfur dioxide is detected in the atmosphere of a rocky planet orbiting the red d star, it suggests a dry, hot world with a thick atmosphere and little or no water, similar to Venus. Such planets can be exfoliated in the quest for life.

Conversely, the absence of significant sulfur dioxide may indicate a planet worth further observation of water vapor and potential lifespan signs.

The quest to find life on other planets requires extensive research efforts and unwavering resolve. All methods including the analysis of sulfur dioxide levels to streamline the candidate list are extremely valuable in this effort.