Is E.T. Hiding Just a Few Years Out of Reach?!
Alien Life & UFO/UAPs
Thursday 30th, May 2024
Lisa Kaltenegger, a leading figure in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) and director of the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell University, has expressed her confidence that humanity is on the brink of discovering life beyond Earth, thanks to the capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Speaking to The Telegraph, Kaltenegger highlighted the JWST's advanced technology designed to detect biosignatures, scientific indicators of life, such as organism produced methane gas, as a revolutionary step forward.
Kaltenegger, whose latest book "Alien Earths: Planet Hunting in the Cosmos" was published this month, described the current period as an "era of golden exploration". She noted that the JWST's technological leaps enable humanity to explore thousands of other worlds that are now within reach. "We are in this era of golden exploration, with thousands of other worlds on our doorstep, that we now can actually explore", she enthused.
One of the most intriguing targets for potential life is the Trappist-1 system, a red dwarf star located approximately 40.66 light years away from Earth. Discovery of the star was first published in 2000, Trappist-1 has several planets within its habitable zone, where conditions might support liquid water. Kaltenegger is particularly interested in this system due to its potential to harbour life. "We have a chance to find the gases on these worlds", she explained, "And to figure out if there’s biosignatures on them within the next, let’s say, five to 10 years".
Kaltenegger remains optimistic about the prospects of discovering life, suggesting that observing even one system could yield results. "If life is everywhere, it can be in that system", she stated. "It may be that we need to observe 100 systems before we find life, or 1,000. But it could also be that we just need to observe one system".
She concluded with a hopeful prediction that such a discovery "could be just a couple of years from now", underscoring the JWST's pivotal role in the search for extraterrestrial life.
Kaltenegger, whose latest book "Alien Earths: Planet Hunting in the Cosmos" was published this month, described the current period as an "era of golden exploration". She noted that the JWST's technological leaps enable humanity to explore thousands of other worlds that are now within reach. "We are in this era of golden exploration, with thousands of other worlds on our doorstep, that we now can actually explore", she enthused.
One of the most intriguing targets for potential life is the Trappist-1 system, a red dwarf star located approximately 40.66 light years away from Earth. Discovery of the star was first published in 2000, Trappist-1 has several planets within its habitable zone, where conditions might support liquid water. Kaltenegger is particularly interested in this system due to its potential to harbour life. "We have a chance to find the gases on these worlds", she explained, "And to figure out if there’s biosignatures on them within the next, let’s say, five to 10 years".
Kaltenegger remains optimistic about the prospects of discovering life, suggesting that observing even one system could yield results. "If life is everywhere, it can be in that system", she stated. "It may be that we need to observe 100 systems before we find life, or 1,000. But it could also be that we just need to observe one system".
She concluded with a hopeful prediction that such a discovery "could be just a couple of years from now", underscoring the JWST's pivotal role in the search for extraterrestrial life.
