﻿James Webb Telescope Detected Artificial Light on Proxima B
Intro One of the most exciting developments in astronomy
over the last decade has been the discovery of Proxima B and the likelihood that it could
support life. The exoplanet is among the closest ever discovered to the Solar system and is thought
to have a rocky surface similar to the size of the Earth. Even though the planet has remained
visually elusive, its presence has been confirmed because its gravity can be observed to cause a
tug on Proxima Centauri, the star it orbits. In 2019, a mysterious signal from the direction
of this star system was detected. Even though the signal is still being analyzed to confirm if it is
truly extraterrestrial or merely just an echo of our civilization, it has still stirred an exciting
debate among the scientific community. The idea of having an alien civilization relatively close
to our home system is something that was never expected. Any traces of alien life were always
thought to be either microscopic or simply too far away for our current technology to reach.
However, with the upcoming launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, this may all change.
Scientists believe that the new telescope may have the capability to finally visually confirm Proxima
B and detect any artificial lights that may emit from its surface and definitively confirm if the
planet is home to another civilization. In today's video, let's discuss Proxima B
and the new telescope which promises to unearth all of its mysteries, and finally answer the
age-old question; Are we alone in the Universe? Proxima Centauri B
Proxima B is an exoplanet that lies just 4.2 light-years away from Earth, a distance that
is negligible when taking into consideration the endless size of the universe. It is the
closest planet outside the Solar system and recent studies have pinpointed it to be just 17 percent
more massive than our planet. The planet resides in the much-coveted Goldilocks zone of its star.
This means it is in just the right spot to have the possibility of liquid water on its surface.
Any closer and all the water would evaporate from the heat and being
any farther would cause it all to freeze. While previously it was thought that the
planet was just about 1.3 Earth masses, the new measurements indicate that the planet may
be more like Earth than ever thought before. The planet was first detected by a spectrograph called
High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher but new methods have since allowed scientists to have
an ultra-precise view of the planet. The planet orbits around Proxima Centauri which happens
to be the closest star to the Sun and since it sits in the habitable zone of this star,
scientists speculate it could be home to microscopic or even intelligent life.
While the planet enjoys a terrestrial terrain similar to the Earth,
there are some ways it is significantly different from our planet as well. For one, scientists
believe that the planet is tidally locked and in a synchronous rotation with its star.
This means that one side of the planet is always facing the star while the other is always facing
away. Additionally, Proxima Centauri is much smaller and much dimmer compared to the Sun. Since
the planet sits relatively close to its star, some researchers believe it may not have an atmosphere.
This is because the radiation coming from Proxima Centauri might have stripped away
the planet's air, making it impossible for its surface to harbor liquid water. However,
all these questions may be definitively answered once the new technology is available to inspect
the planet at a much more intimate level. The Future of Space Observation
One such piece of modern equipment is the James Webb Telescope. The sophisticated technology
that makes up the telescope has taken 30 years and a massive 10 billion dollars to develop.
Calling it one of the grandest scientific endeavors of the 21st century wouldn’t be
a stretch as it represents the future of space observation and one of the things we will rely
on the most to increase our understanding of the universe in the coming decades.
The telescope will have the capability to see just about anything in the sky but its main
objective will be to observe light coming from the very first stars to shine in the universe.
This will make it possible for us to see the moment when darkness ended and the first stars
came into existence for the first time. Because of the complexity of the equipment, the James
Webb Telescope has had to sit through various delays in development and the next launch window
has been set for the 22nd December of 2021. Having the ability to accurately trace sources of
light millions of miles away is one of the biggest reasons why the telescope may be the first piece
of equipment in history to finally discover traces of intelligent life in the universe.
And as Proxima B seems to be one of the leading candidates to host an alien civilization,
the telescope may be our only hope for finding answers.
Intelligent Life on Proxima B The first clue of the possibility
of intelligent life on Proxima B was discovered back in 2019 when a strange signal was picked up
coming from the direction of the planet by the Parkes radio telescope in Australia. Although
the reports are still a bit unclear, the signal reportedly showed up during 5 different 30-minute
periods over several days while the telescope was directly pointing towards the planet.
Based on the information available so far, the signal was concentrated into an extremely narrow
range of frequencies, this point towards it being artificial and distinctly unlike any
known natural radio sources. One of the biggest lingering questions that stand is that if the
signal does turn out to be of extraterrestrial origin, should humanity send them a reply or not.
However, our technological limitations mean it would take just over a decade
for the message to reach the planet. The next step in this discovery is to identify
all possible sources of terrestrial interference in the data collected from the strange signal.
Since such a massive discovery will change the course of human history and our understanding of
the cosmos forever, the scientists involved are rightly taking every step necessary to
correctly identify the origins of this signal. One of the ways this can be achieved is by observing
the planet through the James Webb Telescope. Artificial Lights on Proxima B
When viewing the Earth from space, the most obvious sign that a civilization calls the planet
home is the glow of lights from the night side of our planet. The massive cities which are visible
from above emit light that is shed into the cosmos. The biggest problem we have had so far is
the lack of technology to observe similar lights on planets outside our Solar system, but this will
all change thanks to the James Webb Telescope. Since the Proxima B is tidally locked with a
permanent night side, scientists speculate that any intelligent civilization living on the planet
may deploy powerful mirrors or use very bright LED-style lights to illuminate their cities.
Just like Earth, the light from these cities will undoubtedly rise into space where we may be able
to see them for the first time. The new telescope has a wider spectrum view than any of its
predecessors and will operate further out from the Earth in a solar orbit of 930,000 miles from home
and will have the ability to detect these lights. Initial investigations have already been carried
out to estimate if artificial lights can be detected on the dark side of Proxima B
by computing light curves from the planet and its host star. The two different scenarios which could
occur are artificial illumination on an identical spectrum as LEDs on Earth or a narrower spectrum
that leads to the same proportion of light as total artificial illumination on Earth.
If the telescope can detect the narrowband light that is similar to LED bulbs,
it will be because of its ability to characterize the atmosphere of the planet.
This will allow researchers to use various instruments to detect how much energy transport
takes place on the planet and then perform calculations of light curves to determine
whether they match those of an LED light source. If this is indeed the case, then we will be one
step closer to concluding if Proxima B is a bastion for life outside our Solar system.
Conclusion It's an exciting time for space exploration
in general. We have never been closer to the discovery of alien life, in fact in one unrelated
study which explored the potential uses of the James Webb Telescope it was suggested that it
could spot signs of alien life as soon as 2026. We hope you enjoyed today's video, please remember
to leave us a like and subscribe for more content as we continue to delve deeper into
the mysteries of the universe. Before you go, please let us know
your thoughts on Proxima B. Do you think the James Webb Telescope will find traces
of intelligent life on the planet? Please let us know in the comments section below.