James Webb Space Telescope to target these seven Earth-like planets in search of life

The James Webb Space Telescope already has a number of subjects lined up for exploration and the list just got bigger. NASA has revealed seven Earth-like exoplanets, which the telescope would focus on to determine if they are habitable and have scope for life. These planets reportedly are part of a system named TRAPPIST-1 which is located about 41 light-years from Earth.

(This illustration shows what the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system may look like; Image: NASA)

Webb to zero in on the most unusual planetary systems

First unveiled in February 2017, the TRAPPIST-1 has the most unusual planetary systems ever found outside of our solar system, says NASA. The Webb telescope, which is currently in its commissioning phase, will focus on these planets to determine their habitability by looking for signs of their atmospheres. It is worth noting that the TRAPPIST-1 is actually a red-dwarf star that has seven Earth-like rocky exoplanets orbiting it. What's interesting, is that the system is so small that all the planets including the star can fit within the distance between Mercury and the sun.

Sean Carey, part of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said as per NASA's statement, "That folks are even able to ask the question about whether a planet around another star is habitable, that just boggles my mind". Interestingly, Carey was part of a team of astronomers that discovered some of the exoplanets around TRAPPIST-1 using the now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope. During the observations, Webb's subject of interest and the prime target would be the planet TRAPPIST-1e, which is right in the middle of the system. Scientists say that the planet is in the Goldilocks zone, which is believed to be the region that receives the perfect amount of light, allowing water to exist in the liquid state.

How would studying atmospheres help find life?

With the help of Webb, scientists would study the atmospheres of the exoplanets to determine if they have the right conditions to support life. Previous observations using the Hubble Space Telescope have revealed that planets number d, e and f do not have hydrogen-dominated atmospheres like Neptune.

NASA says that planets with such atmospheric composition are less likely to have a scope of habitability. “The hope is that we see carbon dioxide, a really strong feature, right at the wavelengths [detectable by] Webb. Once we know where there are little things peaking up above the noise, we can go back and do a much higher resolution look in that area", planetary scientist from Cornell University, Nikole Lewis said, as per NASA. 

(Image: @ESA_Webb/Twitter)