Emily Chan
With the help of a three-dimensional map of stars near the sun, astronomers can search for alien planets that might hold life. The map was created by NASA’s Chandra X-ray space telescope, which has spent 25 years in orbit.
The stars mapped by the telescope are at distances between 16.3 light-years and 49 light-years away from the sun.
This is close enough for the telescope to collect wavelengths of light or “spectra” from planets potentially in the stars’ habitable zones.
The habitable zone around a star is called the “Goldilocks zone.” It’s not too hot or too cold, allowing liquid water to exist on a planet’s surface.
The spectra could reveal surface features, such as oceans and continents, or atmospheric features, like clouds and chemicals.
Chandra’s X-ray capability is crucial for informing scientists on which planets to conduct investigations for conditions that could support life.
X-rays and ultraviolet radiation can destroy a planet’s atmosphere and make conditions inhabitable. So, if Chandra spots a planet that is heavily exposed to X-rays, scientists know to skip searching that world for signs of life.
“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 Breanna Binder, the team leader of the project from the California State Polytechnic University. “We need to look at what kind of X-ray doses these planets are receiving.”
The team started with a list of 57 stars in close enough range to our solar system for space telescopes to observe their Goldilocks zones.
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