The Webb telescope, which can detect infrared light invisible to the human eye, searched for exactly what elements are featured in the planet’s atmosphere.
On Earth, dimethyl sulfide “is only produced by life,” according to NASA.
Hot ocean worldsThe discoveries about its atmospheric composition suggest it could be a “Hycean exoplanet,” a theoretical type of exoplanet that runs hot but is covered in oceans and has a hydrogen-rich atmosphere.
There are no confirmed Hycean exoplanets just yet.
“This means our work here is but an early demonstration of what Webb can observe in habitable-zone exoplanets.”
Persons:
CNN — Waters, James Webb, Webb, Nikku Madhusudhan, Madhusudhan, —, ” Madhusudhan, ”, Savvas Constantinou
Organizations:
CNN, James Webb Space Telescope, NASA, Hubble, University of Cambridge, Astrophysical