'Only a matter of time' - The search for life beyond Earth

Space exploration and the search for life is an important part of progressing human knowledge and helps address some of the fundamental questions about our place in the universe, where we came from and where we are headed. It is also one of the key factors contributing to advancement in the technology of telescopes and new equipment.

To find life as we know it, scientists have narrowed down the search to the 'Goldilocks Zone', also known as the 'Habitable Zone', the distance from a star, which allows a planetary body to have the right conditions for an Earth-like atmosphere and liquid water thus having the potential to sustain life.

The search for signs of life has driven scientific development exponentially, especially in the field of telescope technology. Techniques such as transmission spectroscopy significantly expanded our observational capabilities to find exo-planets. This method detects light from the exoplanet, and this is used to find the composition of the exoplanet's atmosphere. Analysing the composition of the atmosphere could reveal strong indications of the presence of life.

The outlook for telescope technology is very promising given recent leaps in advancement. Researchers say that if the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was pointed towards Earth from a distant star, it would detect all the properties we look for today. This is an encouraging sign that advancements in our technology have the potential to find more exoplanets even further from our solar system which may possess habitable conditions.

The JWST has already made some exciting breakthroughs including detection of methane and carbon dioxide on an exoplanet 120 light years away from Earth. It also may have detected a molecule (dimethyl sulphide) which on Earth, is only produced by life. However, researchers do make it clear that more data is required to make any claims or confirm its presence.

To navigate the challenge of imaging exoplanets which are so far away and much dimmer to their surrounding objects, astronomers use coronagraphs. Although this is still undergoing development, this instrument would be used to study the physical properties of exoplanets with greater accuracy and obtain pictures with more clarity of distant objects.

Thanks to rapidly advancing technology, we can certainly anticipate future breakthroughs this could bring for the study of exoplanets and the search for life as we know it.