The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) currently under construction in northern Chile will revolutionize our understanding of the Milky Way and its exoplanet inhabitants. Set to become operational in 2028, the ELT’s primary mirror array boasts an effective diameter of 39 meters, allowing it to gather more light than previous telescopes by a factor of ten. This significant upgrade will provide images 16 times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope.
One of the most exciting features of the ELT is its ability to capture faint atmospheric spectra from exoplanets, even when they are not transiting their host star. By analyzing these spectra, scientists can determine the presence and composition of molecules in a planet’s atmosphere, such as water, carbon dioxide, and oxygen. This capability will significantly improve our understanding of exoplanet atmospheres.
A recent study simulated the ELT’s performance for various scenarios and found that it should be able to distinguish between different types of Earth-like planets with remarkable accuracy. For instance, the team discovered that observing a planet for just ten hours could reveal signs of life on an Earth-like world orbiting Proxima Centauri. Similarly, for Neptune-sized worlds, the ELT could capture planetary spectra in about an hour.
The potential implications of these findings are profound. If life exists on nearby exoplanets, the ELT will be able to detect it with unprecedented precision. The search for extraterrestrial life has long been a subject of fascination and speculation, and the ELT’s capabilities may hold the key to answering one of humanity’s greatest questions: “Are we alone in the universe?”
Source: https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-extremely-large-telescope-could-sense-the-hints-of-life-at-proxima-centauri-in-just-10-hours