NASA’s Latest Research on Earth-Like Planets: Oceans and Signs of Life

The search continues in the universe for a planet showing the key indicators for supporting life. These are the orbital distance from the sun, signs of water, atmospheric conditions, and the right chemical makeup. NASA’s latest discovery points to one planet in particular bearing one of these conditions. 

Data received from the James Webb Telescope point to the exoplanet K2-18b having an atmosphere that contains methane and carbon dioxide. K2-18b has been on NASA’s radar since 2015 and was discovered by the Kepler space telescope. Since its discovery, new information has continued to be learned about this unique planet.

Key indicators suggest that this planet could potentially be classified as a Hycean planet, a combination of the words hydrogen and ocean. This means there is Hydrogen present in the atmosphere and the planet features a liquid ocean full of water. While there are no confirmed cases on Hycean planets, K2-18b is the best candidate so far. Other potential planets include:

• K2-3b: Five times the size of Earth, but has a surface temperature of over 400 F

• K2-3c: 143 light years away from Earth with temperatures above 200 F

• Kepler-138d: Twice the size of Earth with temperatures around 170 F

• TOI-2136b: Discovered in 2022 and greater than six times Earth’s mass