Finding life on Moons

Scientists have identified more than 100 giant planets outside our solar system that may potentially host moons capable of supporting life. The findingwill guide the design of future telescopes that can detect these potential moons and look for tell-tale signs of life, called biosignatures, in their atmospheres.

“There are currently 175 known moons orbiting the eight planets in our solar system,” said Stephen Kane, an associate professor at University of California, Riverside in the US. “While most of these moons orbit Saturn and Jupiter, which are outside the Sun’s habitable zone, that may not be the case in other solar systems,” said Kane.

The researchers, including those from the University of Southern Queensland in Australia, identified 121 giant planets that have orbits within the habitable zones of their stars. At more than three times the radii of the Earth, these gaseous planets are less common than terrestrial planets, but each is expected to host several large moons.

Since the 2009 launch of NASA’s Kepler telescope, scientists have identified thousands of planets outside our solar system, which are called exoplanets. A primary goal of the Kepler mission is to identify planets that are in the habitable zones of their stars, meaning it is neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water – and potentially life – to exist.