NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory Utilizes Star Radiation To Hunt for Habitable Exoplanets: How Does This Help Know if Planet Can Sustain Life?

Astronomers use modern technologies to determine if distant exoplanets could support life.

Using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton, scientists are studying the radiation that nearby stars give off to determine whether conditions might be good for life on planets that circle these stars.

NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory Utilizes Star Radiation to Hunt for Habitable Exoplanets — Getty Images/ NASA

How X-rays Help Figure Out If a Place Is Habitable

The environment and the possibility of life on an exoplanet are greatly influenced by two types of radiation: X-rays and ultraviolet light. A planet's atmosphere can be destroyed by high doses of this kind of radiation, making it uninhabitable.

Astronomer Breanna Binder of California State Polytechnic University, the lead of the extrasolar planet study, stressed the need to know how dangerous X-rays a planet's star emits. Without describing these X-rays, she pointed out, a critical element in judging a planet's habitability would be missed. Binder stressed the need to assess the level of X-ray radiation these worlds are exposed to.

The researchers looked at 57 close stars and measured the brightness, energy, and changes in variability of their X-ray emissions caused by stellar flares. Researcher Sarah Peacock of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, said they have found stars with X-ray radiation environments that were either milder or identical to the one in which Earth evolved. She pointed out that maintaining a rich atmosphere like Earth's might depend on such circumstances.

Some of the 57 stars already have known exoplanets that could support life, but likely, many more have yet to be found. Astronomers think there are billions more in the Milky Way alone. There are already over 5,500 confirmed exoplanets and almost 10,000 possibilities being examined.

Astrobiologist Edward Schwieterman from UC Riverside emphasized the value of these X-ray findings, noting that they aid in refining and prioritizing potential targets, potentially accelerating the process of capturing the first image of an Earth-like planet.

Groundwork for Future Telescopes

This study sets the groundwork for future projects using next-generation telescopes, like the Extremely Large Telescopes and the Habitable Worlds Observatory, which should start working within the next ten years. These tools will be used to take pictures of planets in the habitable zones of close stars.

This is where liquid water, which is necessary for life as we know it, can form. The study used a lot of information, which came from readings made by Chandra over almost 10 days and by XMM-Newton over 26 days. The study's main goal was to find out which stars are most likely to have planets that are habitable by living things.

NASA's work in this area also includes finding planets about the same size as Earth that have been missed so far because of problems with their discovery. The usual methods, like studying transits and observing gravitational pulls, miss many possible worlds like Earth.

This ongoing study tries to find the stars with the best conditions for life to survive by studying their X-ray emissions. By naming these stars, astronomers are paving the way for future finds with next-generation telescopes, bringing us closer to finding life beyond Earth.

NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA's XMM-Newton are two of the most essential devices for searching for exoplanets with potential for life. By studying their X-ray emissions, astronomers are learning a lot about which stars could support life.

This study not only increases our understanding of extraterrestrial habitability but also lays the door for future discoveries using next-generation observatories. The goal is to get us closer to discovering life in space.