Currently, people know only one planet on which there is life - this is Earth. Although many media continue to publish information that life was found on some other planet. At such moments, a person has an internal disagreement, and he asks the question: but still, if there is life in the Universe? The answer to it is not simple and ambiguous.
Aliens - where are you?
To this day, scientists have not been able to find a single place where aliens could live. And here various questions arise: why are all scientists always looking for only such planets as ours? Why are they at all known space objects trying to find the conditions under which we live? Is there life in the universe and where? For starters, it’s worth thinking broadly: maybe, for the life of aliens, oxygen is not needed, and the composition of the air like ours is destructive. In this case, these living beings will be different, not like us. For this reason, scientists are trying to find the terrestrial type of protein life.
Currently, an area in outer space has been identified that has similar terrestrial conditions. It remains only to find out if there is life in the Universe. But for this it is necessary either to fly to exoplanets, or to develop a powerful telescope that can capture various movements.
For earthly life, it is necessary that the following conditions exist on the planet:
- Water in a liquid state.
- Dense atmosphere.
- Chemical diversity: simple and complex molecules.
- The presence of a star that could bring energy to its surface.
During the search for new planets, scientists simply evaluate the location of the "new items." If she is in the habitable zone, then interest will immediately appear in her. After this, the atmosphere is studied, chemical diversity, the presence of liquid water, the heat source is determined. During the research, scientists are interested in: is there life in the Universe, or rather, on a found planet? And the more similar indicators with the Earth will be revealed, the higher the interest in the object.
Search for life
In 2009, NASA launched the Kepler spacecraft to search for exoplanets. These are objects that are located outside our solar system. A similar planet was first discovered in 1995. It was a tremendous event: to find a planet of the earth type in a star similar to our Sun. After that, a more active search for life in the Universe began. They began to develop a new, unique Kepler telescope.
Currently, more than 150 exoplanets have been discovered, of which two could be inhabited. One of them is very similar to the Earth not only in atmospheric composition and chemical elements, but also in other properties. Is there life on another planet, and on which of those found by Kepler?
Kepler Planets
Years after the launch of the Kepler spacecraft, news was published that it was possible to find a unique exoplanet similar to Earth.
On April 17, 2014, NASA told the world about the existence of the planet Kepler-186, found in the constellation Cygnus. It is located in such a way that it falls into the habitable zone. However, it revolves around a red dwarf, which is colder than the Sun. Based on this, scientists came to the conclusion that it is unlikely that it will have normal living conditions. Red dwarfs are characterized by frequent magnetic flashes, causing x-rays, which can be harmful to nascent life. But is there life on other planets, and on which ones?
In July 2015, NASA announced the next unique find - Kepler-452b. This exoplanet is in the habitable zone, and rotates around a yellow dwarf. She has satellites that may turn out to be inhabited. Although, in fact, no scientist can say for sure whether there is water and land, since no one has been there and will not be for many years to come. The planet revolves around its sun 385 Earth days.
Close Exoplanet
So where to look for brothers in mind, in which galaxy, on which planet? It is safe to name only one place where you can find brothers in mind. It is located in the Milky Way galaxy, in the solar system, on planet Earth. But as for other places, no one can say for sure whether there is still life like ours.
In August 2016, the exoplanet Proxima b was discovered at the star of Proxima Centauri. She is closest to us.
The Earth is located from the Sun at a distance of 1 astronomical unit, and Proxima b from its Sun is 0.5 units, but its star shines and warms weaker than our luminary. Because of this, even at such distances, Proxima b falls into the habitable zone.
The exoplanet does not rotate on its axis, that is, it is like our Moon, captured by the Earth: it always moves nearby, but does not turn on the dark side. So is the exoplanet: it is captured by its star and is always turned to it with one side. As a result, one side is hot and the other cold. But, according to scientists, in the transition zone there are optimal conditions for a normal life.
Saturn's satellite
Trying to answer the question whether there is life in the Universe, except for the Earth, scientists have discovered that on the satellite of Saturn Enceladus there are optimal conditions for the development of life. By itself, this object is small - about 500 km (the size of the Moscow region). It has ice, oceans, hot springs, a rich chemical composition.
One theory of life on Earth says that it could have arisen at the bottom of the ocean, where there were hot springs. This satellite is the second planet on which life could be. The first place in the search for the answer to the question whether there is intelligent life in the Universe is occupied by Mars. A lot of information is already known about him, and each time scientists publish new discoveries related to this planet. So, we have already managed to find out that there is ice, and once the water was in a liquid state.
The search for life in the future
Now work is underway to create a unique twenty-meter telescope that will study exoplanets. Various institutions are participating in the project. If everything goes according to plan, then already in 2022, scientists will be able to consider in more detail objects in the universe.
Another miracle of technology is planned to be built in Europe. It will be a thirty-meter telescope capable of viewing even the weakest and farthest objects that cannot be seen by existing devices. According to forecasts, this type of giant telescope will appear in the mid-20s.
Conclusion
So far, astronomers, astrophysicists have not been able to find life on other planets. And only ufologists say that space is teeming with alien creatures. There is a lot of information about visiting the Earth with various flying objects, about kidnapping, alien bases. Maybe this is all, but we are unlikely to find out about this in the near future. We have been told for many centuries that we are alone in the Universe, but maybe somewhere else there is life that we do not know about yet. And, perhaps, in the near future, scientists will be able to find inhabited planets, see the light of foreign cities.