NEAR, STAR, WHEREVER YOU ARE
Alien-hunters given 3D space map showing exactly where scientists think extraterrestrials may be hiding on nearby worlds
Planets needed to meet a list of specific criteria to make it onto the map
A MAP of the stars could lead alien-hunters directly to where extra-terrestrial life may be hiding.
Scientists have created a 3D illustration charting a list of nearby stars that may be hosting "habitable" alien worlds.
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They used data from Nasa's Chandra X-ray Observatory to identify these planets.
It involved finding stars that are close enough to Earth that we could use future telescopes to take images of planets in their "habitable" zones.
This is when a planet is the right distance from a star to have liquid water on its surface – a key ingredient for alien life.
Using advanced imaging techniques, scientists could work out details about a planet's surface and atmosphere.
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But scientists also needed to track the amount of harmful X-rays and UV light that these planets might be receiving from their host stars.
Astronomers warn that high levels can damage or even "strip away" a planet's atmosphere.
"Without characterizing X-rays from its host star, we would be missing a key element on whether a planet is truly habitable or not," said study author Breanna Binder, of California State Polytechnic University in Pomona.
"We need to look at what kind of X-ray doses these planets are receiving."
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Astronomers were able to use X-ray data of these nearby stars to find out whether they could host planets with "hospitable conditions for life".
With the right conditions, life could "form and prosper" on these alien worlds.
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"We have identified stars where the habitable zone’s X-ray radiation environment is similar to or even milder than the one in which Earth evolved," said Sarah Peacock, a co-author of the study from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
"Such conditions may play a key role in sustaining a rich atmosphere like the one found on Earth."
The stars mapped by astronomers are between 16.3 and 49 lightyears away.
And they tracked the X-ray behavior of 57 of them – some of which already have known planets.
What is an exoplanet?
Here's what you need to know...
- An exoplanet is a planet that is located outside of our solar system and is orbiting its own star, like how Earth orbits the Sun
- They are very hard to see with telescopes because they are often hidden by the brightness of their star
- Nasa sent the Kepler space telescope into orbit to find Earth-sized exoplanets that might support life
- Over 5,500 exoplanets have been discovered so far, and more missions to find even more exoplanets are planned
- A good way to spot an exoplanet is to look for wobbly stars, because a disruption to starlight can indicate that a planet is orbiting it and therefore blocking out light on occasion
- Exoplanets are very common in the universe, and the more we find that look like Earth, the closer we get to knowing whether we're alone out there
Most of the planets attached to these stars that we know about are giants like Jupiter, Saturn, or Neptune.
Scientists say just a "handful" of the planets (or potential planets) could be less than twice as big as Earth.
But scientists think that many more planets may be lurking in the dark that we don't know about.
Astronomers are hopeful that by using this map, it will make hunting for these life-supporting planets much easier – and faster.
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"We don’t know how many planets similar to Earth will be discovered in images with the next generation of telescopes," said co-author Edward Schwieterman of the University of California at Riverside.
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"But we do know that observing time on them will be precious and extremely difficult to obtain.
"These X-ray data are helping to refine and prioritize the list of targets and may allow the first image of a planet similar to Earth to be obtained more quickly."