A next-generation telescope being built in Chile might soon change the way we search for alien life. The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) developed by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), could potentially identify signs of life on distant planets and rule out false positives within just a few hours.
The study conducted by researchers at the University of Washington and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, suggests that the ELT’s powerful capabilities could quickly scan planets in our own solar system and even those around nearby stars like Proxima Centauri.
For the most accessible nearby target, Proxima Centauri b, our results suggest that we may be able to rule out a sub-Neptune atmosphere in as little as a single hour of observing.
The telescope could also help confirm if certain biosignatures chemical indicators of life are actually genuine, or just misleading signs caused by natural processes. This would make it possible to separate truly habitable worlds from uninhabited ones with much more certainty.
Unlike many existing telescopes, the ELT will be able to study both transiting and non-transiting exoplanets. For planets that pass in front of their host star (transiting), it will examine the starlight filtered through their atmospheres to collect important spectral data. For non-transiting planets, it will analyse the light reflected from their surfaces to better understand what they’re made of.
The study says While terrestrial exoplanet characterisation is inherently challenging, the ELT era will likely offer the first opportunities to study the atmospheres of non-transiting terrestrial exoplanet targets and search for signs of habitability and life on our nearest exoplanetary neighbours
When will the ELT be ready?
Construction delays have pushed the telescope’s timeline, but the ELT is expected to achieve “first light” its first observations in March 2029. Scientific operations will begin after its first instruments are tested and commissioned, likely by December 2030.
This groundbreaking telescope will feature a giant primary mirror made up of 798 hexagonal segments. Each segment will be equipped with pistons and sensors to maintain its perfect shape, forming a giant 39.3-meter-wide surface. The telescope dome, expected to be 87 meters in diameter and 22 storeys tall, will rotate with high precision.
Once operational the ELT will deliver images that are up to 16 times sharper than those from NASA’s iconic Hubble Space Telescope.
With this leap in technology, scientists could be on the verge of answering one of humanity’s biggest questions are we alone in the universe?
