Since it was launched and started operations in 2022, the James Webb Space Telescope has uncovered many secrets and the beauty of the universe. The telescope may well have outdone itself by revealing evidence of life on a world about 120 light years from Earth.

NASA states that the world in question is K2-18b, “a super Earth exoplanet that orbits an M-type star. Its mass is 8.92 Earths, it takes 32.9 days to complete one orbit of its star, and is 0.1429 [astronomical units] from its star. Its discovery was announced in 2015.”

An M-type star is also known as a Red Dwarf.

According to Space.com, the James Webb Space Telescope found indications of dimethyl sulfide in K2-18b’s atmosphere using two of its specialized instruments. In a separate study, the telescope used a third instrument, which also detected the substance.

On Earth, dimethyl sulfide is most often created by phytoplankton and other marine microbes. K2-18b is thought to harbor a huge ocean.

The possible discovery on K2-18b is not the first time the James Webb Space Telescope may have uncovered evidence of extraterrestrial life.

In September 2023, the telescope picked up indications of carbon dioxide on Europa, the icy moon of........

© The Hill