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The quest for alien life in outer space is going to take an exciting turn in the upcoming decade with a due major advancement: The introduction of advanced, next-generation telescopes. A new study, published in the Astronomical Journal, reveals how the search for life on exoplanets is going to get super interesting. 

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Using these Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs), scientists will focus on 10 rocky exoplanets, particularly for bio-signatures such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane, and water. The existence of all these elements suggests the presence of life on a planet. 

The focus of the study

The study says the ELTs can help space enthusiasts solve the mysteries of two nearby exoplanets: Proxima Centauri b and GJ 887 b. These two are ‘Super-Earth’ planets, bigger than Earth in size but smaller than Neptune.

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According to experts, the introduction of ELTs is going to be promising and result-oriented; however, they caution that not every planet is best suited for direct imaging.

“Not every planet is suitable for direct imaging, but that’s why simulations give us a rough idea of what the ELTs would have delivered and the promises they’re meant to hold when they are built,” Huihao Zhang, a senior in astronomy at Ohio State, was quoted as saying by Space.com.

The telescopes

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The study included the viability of the European Extremely Large Telescope, the Thirty-Metre-Telescope, and the Giant Magellan Telescope and their ability to directly image exoplanets.

The direct imaging of exoplanets involves sophisticated techniques aimed at overcoming the overwhelming brightness of their host stars. One such method utilises a coronagraph or starshade to physically block out the intense light emanating from the host star, thereby allowing astronomers to capture the faint light reflected or emitted by the orbiting exoplanet.

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However, despite its potential, this approach presents formidable challenges and requires significant time and effort to execute successfully. 

Detecting the atmosphere of exoplanets

Not just the bio-signatures, the ELTs can also help scientists observe the atmosphere of the exoplanets. The Mid-Infrared ELT Imager and Spectrograph (METIS) and the High Angular Resolution Monolithic Optical and Near-infrared Integral field spectrograph (HARMONI) are the two instruments on board the ELT that can analyse the atmosphere. 

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METIS were able to detect the aforementioned bio-signature gases in its atmosphere. In the simulations conducted in the study, METIS also could detect the same biosignatures on exoplanets Proxima b and Wolf 1061c, while HARMONI was able to make the same detections but required longer exposure times to do so.

(With inputs from agencies)