This gas-giant exoplanet has water-rich clouds. Here’s why it thrills astronomers

news-hub

Three teams of astronomers have been fascinated by an alien world known as K2-18b, which is 110 light-years away, in the constellation Leo. But what’s all the fuss about?

In September, two teams announced that they had found signs of liquid water in the planet’s atmosphere — a landmark discovery in the search for potentially habitable alien worlds. But the mere presence of water isn’t the only condition necessary for life. Other conditions, like temperature and pressure, can also affect a planet’s habitability. Now, a third team reports that the pressures of liquid water on the same world may be good for life to evolve — another intriguing development for scientists.

Lucas Bethencourt takes aim at space camp dream

News Articles

Lucas Bethencourt’s ambitions are beyond sky-high – they’re intergalactic.

The 14-year-old from St Georges Basin hopes to one day become an astronaut and pilot, to be “part of the evolution of space travel”.

Lucas is articulate and softly spoken, but his face lights up when he talks about the stars.

“To discover new things, all the wonders of the universe, is fascinating to me,” he said.

“And the technological advances we’ve made since the 60s – recently we’ve gone from having to throw rockets away to being able to land them vertically, which is really cool.”