|
[Music throughout] [Narrated by John Rhys-Davies] The stars above. What secrets do they keep? One of our biggest questions has always been: are we alone? We've now discovered thousands of planets beyond our solar system. But how many of those distant worlds have the conditions for life as we know it? How many have water vapor, a beacon indicating that oceans might be present? How many of gases like oxygen and methane, possible signs of life itself? And of those, which might truly have life? After decades of asking, a future NASA telescope could bring us the answers. The Habitable Worlds Observatory is a future mission designed in the tradition of the Hubble and Webb Space Telescopes. It will use its unique and sensitive eyes to see planets like our own, hiding in the light of their distant stars. Astronomers could then point this mighty space observatory to the most promising planets: those that may hold liquid water. With the help of its coronagraph instrument, which blocks out the dazzling starlight, the telescope will look for undiscovered Earth-sized planets in the star's habitable zone, where liquid water could exist. The light from each planet will be split into a vibrant spectrum of colors, revealing clues to the chemical signatures we seek. From there, we can attempt to discover if a planet's atmosphere contains water, and from there, other signals like oxygen or methane. Should all these signs align, the Habitable Worlds Observatory would delve deeper to reveal other hidden clues of life. With further study, we could find signs of sprawling oceans and rugged continents. And if signs of life are revealed, keep a watchful eye for changes over time. This magnificent observatory could discover dozens of worlds akin to our own in its first five years. The telescope will gather data on a wide variety of worlds, placing our own solar system in the context within the grand tapestry of existence. And the Habitable Worlds Observatory will — like the other great cosmic watchers Hubble, Chandra, Spitzer, Webb and soon Roman — also conduct a wide range of revolutionary observations of our cosmos, improving our understanding of how our universe led to potentially habitable worlds. Thus, the Habitable Worlds Observatory will help us embark on a quest as grand as any to tell the story of life in the cosmos and whether or not we are alone. [Habitable Worlds Observatory] [Telling the story of life in the universe] [NASA] |