The telescope could potentially spot artificially produced gasses, which would lead to more information regarding life on other planets.
The James Webb Space Telescope arrived at its observation post 1 million miles from Earth on Monday on a mission to help astronomers « better understand the early days of the universe, peer at distant exoplanets and atmosphere and to answer long-scale questions such as how quickly the universe is expanding, » according to Space.com. The biggest, most powerful space telescope launched on Christmas Day from French Guinea is scanning atmospheres of alien worlds for possible signs of other life forms in the cosmos. Astronomers have discovered more than 4,000 exoplanets since 1995, according to NASA ‘s SETI Institute. However, only a few have been photographed, and astronomers are hoping Webb will be able to photograph more. In the search for other life forms, Webb could be able to spot artificially produced gasses in the atmosphere, which would lead to more information regarding life on other planets.
