James Webb Telescope Ready to Change Our Knowledge of the Universe

 Our most amazing astronomical photos come from the Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble launched into space to bring us these detailed photos that have changed our understanding of the universe over 30 years ago. Hubble’s successor is the James Webb Space Telescope, now fully deployed. The JWST stands poised to change our perspective of the universe yet again. JWST has a much greater collecting area than Hubble and a more sensitive detector.

Hublle Space Telescope's collecting mirror compared to JWST's main mirror. Credit NASA

The JWST may change our understanding of our place in the cosmos by studying extrasolar planets, planets orbiting other stars. On Earth, plants cover much of our land surface. NASA launched the Galileo mission to Jupiter in 1989. On the way there, the spacecraft took a look back at Earth and detected our planet, vegetation red edge (VRE) biosignature, the mixture of red and infrared light reflected by plants, a signal JWST could observe from exoplanets.

Any exoplanet that bears life will likely have large areas covered with forest- and prairie-like plants just as on Earth. JWST possesses the capability to detect the VRE signal from such planets. While extensive plant cover won’t necessarily indicate the presence of intelligent life, it proves that life on those planets has evolved beyond the simple, single-celled forms that alone populated Earth for a billion years.

JWST’s detectors are sensitive enough to identify another tell-tale sign of life on alien planets. When a planet moves in front of its star, the starlight passing through the planet’s atmosphere, if it has one, allows the telescope to determine what gasses make up that atmosphere. Oxygen is a very reactive element. It is easily used up in chemical processes, such as combining with iron-bearing rock to turn it red, which is common on Earth. Our planet maintains a large supply of oxygen in our atmosphere because it is constantly replenished by photosynthesizing plants.

Methane is also a gas that can’t remain long in a planet’s atmosphere. On Earth, many forms of life give off methane. Think of cows burping. So, if a planet has a steady supply of methane in its atmosphere that likely indicates the presence of life.

JWST’s greatest contribution to our understanding of the universe will undoubtedly come from detailed images of astronomical objects and phenomena, just as with Hubble. But finding proof of extraterrestrial life may well be the most exciting discovery made by the James Webb Space Telescope.

Each month, I write an astronomy-related column piece for the Oklahoman newspaper. On the following day, I post that same column to my blog page.

 This is reprinted by permission from the Oklahoman and www.Oklahoman.com.

Oxygenating Europa's Ocean

 The only place in the entire universe that we know for certain has life is Earth. We have found tantalizing hints of possible life on Mars, Jupiter’s moon Europa, and Saturn’s moon Enceladus. A new scientific study paints an even more optimistic possibility of life on Europa.

Three essential conditions make life possible on Earth. First, life needs water. On our planet, virtually wherever water exists, so does life. Even in conditions of extreme heat, salinity, or acidity, life finds a way. Scientists have found microbes eking out a living in microscopic cracks in rock as much as three miles deep.

Secondly, life needs a source of energy. For most life on our planet, that energy source is the sun. A few organisms obtain energy from superheated water at volcanic vents on the ocean floor where sunlight never reaches. Lower life forms, like plants or microbes, use that energy to power their own life process. Other creatures feed on those plants and microbes. And, finally, life needs oxygen. Even plants, which generate the oxygen in our atmosphere must “breathe” oxygen in the absence of sunlight.

Europa, a moon of Jupiter, has numerous cracks, seen as reddish, crisscrossing lines, in a thick ice shell covering a 100-mile deep ocean. Credit NASA

Two of the most likely places in our solar system to find life beyond Earth are moons: Europa orbiting Jupiter and Enceladus which, orbits Saturn. Both possess a thick covering of ice, beneath which lie oceans of salt water. Europa’s icy shell may be as much as fifteen miles thick. The ocean that lies beneath contains more water than all of Earth’s oceans. Both are too far from the sun to power life. But both orbit large planets with strong gravitational pull. The gravity of the large planet pulls on the moons, squeezing the interior. This generates heat in the core that moves up into the oceans. Without this heating, both moons would be solid ice. For Europa, oxygen exists on the surface. Getting it through the thick ice shell is the problem.

A new study led by researcher Marc Hesse, of the UT Jackson School of Geosciences, suggests a solution. Europa’s surface is covered with cracks. And the pulling, squeezing action of Jupiter’s gravity can pump surface brine with dissolved oxygen through these cracks to the ocean below. They estimate that 86% of the oxygen on Europa’s surface can reach the ocean through this process, allowing Europa’s ocean to carry as much oxygen as Earth’s oceans. "It provides a solution to what is considered one of the outstanding problems of the habitability of the Europa subsurface ocean," Hesse says.

  

Each month, I write an astronomy-related column piece for the Oklahoman newspaper. On the following day, I post that same column to my blog page.

 This is reprinted with permission from the Oklahoman and www.Oklahoman.com.

Astronomers Discuss the Gaia Hypothesis

  

An individual ant appears to possess little intelligence. But, working as a whole, an ant colony displays an impressive level of intelligence. In a recent article published in the International Journal of Astrobiology, Adam Frank, a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Rochester, and his colleagues David Grinspoon at the Planetary Science Institute and Sara Walker at Arizona State University published a “thought experiment.” They looked at the Earth as a collective whole of all the processes and activity on and within our planet.

 Collectively, they claim, all of the biological, geological, meteorological, plus all human activity together create what they refer to as “planetary intelligence.” If we want to tackle global issues such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, or pollution, we must treat Earth as a living and intelligent entity.

In the paper, they state, “The consideration of intelligence in astrobiological studies has tended to regard it solely as the property of one or more species which evolve on a planet and then go on to create a technological civilization rather than as a collective property existing in groups of organisms or societies.” This is the wrong way to look at intelligence on a planet. Just as with an ant colony, the researchers say we must “broaden the view of intelligence by taking a planetary view of its appearance and effect.” We must look at the complete “planetary intelligence” of our planet, taking into account all feedback systems that exist on and within it.

Four stages of Planetary Intelligence. Earth is currently at the Immature Technosphere level.

As an example of planetary intelligence, before human intelligence emerged, Frank cites studies that show how the roots of the trees in a forest connect through networks of underground fungi known as mycorrhizal networks. This acts as a kind of nervous system allowing communication between separated parts of the forest. If one part needs more nutrients, healthy regions send the distressed section extra nutrients through this “nerve” network.

Frank states that we now live in an “Immature technosphere.” We possess interlinked systems of communication, transportation, technology, electricity, and computers. But it is immature because we humans have not integrated into our planet’s other systems. In a “Mature Technosphere,” which he says should be our goal, our technological systems benefit the entire planet without harming the biosphere.

The researchers state we can use this analysis to study alien planets to see what level of planetary intelligence they possess, possibly leading to another means of locating intelligent alien beings.

 

Each month, I write an astronomy-related column piece for the Oklahoman newspaper. On the following day, I post that same column to my blog page.

 This is reprinted by permission from the Oklahoman and www.Oklahoman.com.

 

How Might the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life Affect Religions?

 Many of my columns focused on the likelihood of extraterrestrial life. Not necessarily intelligent aliens, but more likely microbial life. I’ve covered such topics as the discovery of planets around other stars, the chemistry necessary to support life, and where we have found it. I’ve talked about Earth creatures that can survive long stretches of time in space, like the hardy tardigrades.

The detection of life elsewhere, intelligent or not, would go down as one of the most profound discoveries in human history. I’ve always discussed this in scientific terms. That’s my background and the point of these columns.

Recently, NASA co-sponsored a study at Princeton University's Center for Theological Inquiry with two dozen theologians from many religions who discussed how humans might respond to the discovery of extraterrestrial life.

For centuries, the Catholic Church said that extraterrestrial life, at least intelligent life, couldn’t exist because the Son of God only came to Earth to save God’s creatures. In their minds, that meant only Earth possessed life. In the eyes of the early Church, no planets existed beyond our solar system

Those individuals who disputed the Church’s stance, like Giordano Bruno, faced strong retaliation. Among other “heretical” statements, Bruno said, “In space, there are countless constellations, suns and planets; we see only the suns because they give light; the planets remain invisible, for they are small and dark. There are also numberless earths circling around their suns...” For this, among other heresies, Bruno was condemned to death in 1600.

We now know of many thousands of planets beyond our solar system, and astronomers believe that number likely exceeds one hundred billion. So how might religions react to the discovery of life out there? Study participant Rev. Dr. Andrew Davison of the University of Cambridge stated wrote in his forthcoming book on the study “Astrobiology and Christian Doctrine,” “The headline findings are that adherents of a range of religious traditions report that they can take the idea in their stride."

NASA takes a new look at Extraterrestrial life 

Credit NASA

Davison also states the nonreligious community tended to "overestimate the challenges that religious people" might face if extraterrestrial life were discovered. A "large number of people would turn to their religious traditions for guidance."

How might you react to such a discovery? At least according to this study, religious folks might have an easier philosophical time digesting it.

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The element carbon is ubiquitous on Earth. And, it is the basis of all life on our planet. Carbon, like many elements, comes in multiple forms called isotopes. Carbon has two stable isotopes, carbon-12 and carbon-13. Carbon-12 is by far the more common isotope, but all life on Earth prefers carbon-12, and the ratio of carbon-12 to carbon-13 is higher in biological molecules than in non-biological molecules.

Recently, the Curiosity Rover drilled a hole into the Martian surface and found an enrichment of carbon-12 over carbon-13. Does this mean there’s life on Mars? Not necessarily, but if a scientist found such a discovery in any dirt on Earth, she would certainly assume so.

  

Each month, I write an astronomy-related column piece for the Oklahoman newspaper. On the following day, I post that same column to my blog page.

 This is reprinted by permission from the Oklahoman and www.Oklahoman.com.

Earth's Black Box

 A plane crashes in the mountains. Or in a desert, on takeoff or landing, or in an empty field. Wherever it crashes, the first thing investigators look for is the plane’s black box, the Flight Data Recorder. That device, actually bright orange to make it easily visible, records everything that occurred in the cockpit from takeoff to crash. Every change of altitude, bearing, speed, whether or not it was done by the pilot or the auto-pilot. 

The black box records every conversation in the cockpit, among the crew and the control towers. Investigators can recreate the crash to learn what, if any, mistakes were made. This year, Earth gets its own black box. Earth's Black Box, will scrupulously record every bit of data related to civilization’s demise, whenever it occurs. Earth's Black Box website says "Unless we dramatically transform our way of life, climate change and other man-made perils will cause our civilization to crash." 

The death of civilization may come from climate change or pollution that makes Earth uninhabitable. It may come from nuclear war, a deadly pathogen, or even a giant asteroid wiping out life on our planet. 

Artist's Rending of Earth's Black Box. Credit https://www.EarthsBlackBox.com

Earth’s Black Box’s hard drives will collect temperature measurements, ocean acidification data, land use data, military spending, energy consumption, and human population growth. Data collection will primarily track climate data because the creators, a collaboration between the University of Tasmania, a communications firm called Clemenger BBDO, and an art collective called the Glue Society who will help design its appearance, believe climate to be the most immediate danger that civilization faces. 

The entire object will be enclosed in 3-inch-thick steel designed to withstand any catastrophe. And just like a plane’s black box is tucked away in the safest part of a plane, the tail section, Earth's Black Box will be placed in a secure, in the desert of Tasmania, where civilization is not likely to encroach on it. 

From the Earth’s Black Box website: “The purpose of the device is to provide an unbiased account of the events that lead to the demise of the planet, hold accountability for future generations, and inspire urgent action. 

“How the story ends is completely up to us. 

“Only one thing is certain, your actions, inactions, and interactions are now being recorded.”

 

Each month, I write an astronomy-related column piece for the Oklahoman newspaper. On the following day, I post that same column to my blog page.

 This is reprinted by permission from the Oklahoman and www.Oklahoman.com.

 

Is Anybody Out There? NASA Thinks So.

 Almost daily, someone, somewhere, reports seeing a UFO. Many of those claims are accompanied by shaky or blurry videos. Even the U.S. Navy has released videos from fighter jets of UAP flying objects that the military can’t explain. Yet, despite all of that anecdotal evidence, the majority of astronomers believe that there is not a shred of hard evidence of extraterrestrial visitations. Most astronomers do, however, believe that life does exist in locations other than Earth, perhaps even in our own solar system. Even NASA’s official position is that extraterrestrial life seems almost inevitable, and perhaps it is time we seriously prepare for finding it.

In a new scientific commentary led by NASA’s chief scientist, James Green, the space agency’s researchers believe now is the time to create a framework for reporting evidence of extraterrestrial life. “Our generation could realistically be the one to discover evidence of life beyond Earth,” the team writes. It is quite unlikely, the researchers believe, that a single event or discovery will unambiguously prove the existence of alien life. It is far more likely, they state, that the discovery of such life will be a long-term process with evidence coming in piecemeal. Our ideas and beliefs will likely change as a result of scientific study. “History includes many claims of life detection that later proved incorrect or ambiguous,” the researchers state. We need, they say, to “recast the search for life as a progressive endeavor, where we convey the value of observations that are contextual or suggestive but not definitive and emphasize that false starts and dead ends are an expected part of a healthy scientific process.”

How NASA envisions a possible alien visitation. Image credit: NASA

The researchers want to avoid splashy headlines that prove upon further analysis to be a false discovery of alien life. They feel we need to establish criteria for a “confidence of life detection” (CoLD) scale. The lowest levels of the CoLD scale might be represented by possible identification of plausible biosignatures, signs that an alien planet might be able to support life. Higher levels of the CoLD scale should be reserved for specifically defined measurements of the existence of life. Their goal is to establish a common set of criteria for progressively establishing the existence of alien life.

I suppose the highest level of the CoLD scale might be when an alien spacecraft lands on the White House lawn, or that of some other major world capital, and holds a press conference unequivocally announcing their existence.

 

Each month, I write an astronomy-related column piece for the Oklahoman newspaper. On the following day, I post that same column to my blog page.

 This is reprinted by permission from the Oklahoman and www.Oklahoman.com.

 

A Circumtriple planetary system? Maybe.

 Our solar system contains a single star, our sun. But about half the stars in the sky exist in binary star systems in which two stars orbit each other. In the “Star Wars” movies, Luke Skywalker’s home planet of Tatooine orbited the two suns of such a binary star system, what astronomers refer to as a circumbinary orbit. Astronomers worked out the orbital dynamics of such a system decades ago and have found multiple examples of circumbinary orbits.

Although astronomers have discovered thousands of triple star systems, no circumtriple planetary orbit was known before now. Recently, astronomers studying the young triple star system GW Orionis detected a gap in the dust ring surrounding the stars. Such a gap is considered evidence for the existence of a planet.

The research team, led by Jeremy Smallwood, lead author and a recent Ph.D. graduate in astronomy from UNLV, studied multiple possible scenarios for how such a gap might have formed. The three stars can create gravitational torque on the dust ring, causing gaps. A similar situation occurs in the rings of Saturn where gravitational interactions with it dozens of moons cause warps and gaps in the ring structure.

After analyzing all possible scenarios, the team announced that the most likely explanation for the gap is the presence of one or more massive, Jupiter-like planets, whose gravity cleared out the dust. The group found no evidence of smaller, Earth-like planets in the young triple star system.

Artist's of a planet in a triple star system like GW Orionis, Credit NASA

According to Smallwood, current theory says that gas giants, like Jupiter and Saturn, should be the first planets to form in a star system. Smaller, rocky planets like Earth and Mars should form later. "It's really exciting because it makes the theory of planet formation really robust," said Smallwood. "It could mean that planet formation is much more active than we thought."

GW Orionis may not be through forming planets. Who knows? Perhaps a one-up of a Tatooine-like planet may still form in its dusty disk.

 

Each month, I write an astronomy-related column piece for the Oklahoman newspaper. On the following day, I post that same column to my blog page.

 This is reprinted with permission from the Oklahoman and www.Oklahoman.com.