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Gods out there

An artist's impression of earth vs k2-18b - from here


Is there a planet out there somewhere with life on it? Our scientists have done pretty much research already and more is going on. As far as I know, the nearest planet that has the potential to sustain life is an exoplanet that our scientists have named K2-18b. It is a Hycean planet, which means there is possibly hydrogen and water-ocean on it. [Hycean is portmanteau of hydrogen and ocean.] Exoplanet means that it doesn’t belong to our Solar System though it is in the habitable zone, though it is 120 light-years away from our earth.

K2-18 is the sun of K2-18b. [I guess that’s quite a convenient way of naming things in science. Naming them Petre and Paul, for example, would have been as inconvenient as it is irrational.] K2-18 is dwarf star; that is, a relatively small star of low luminosity. “A cool star!” our new gen would say. However, the planet's size can be quite intimidating: 8.6 times as big as the earth.

NASA’s James Webb Telescope suggests the presence of carbon-bearing molecules including methane and carbon dioxide on K2-18b. This planet has the potential to possess hydrogen-rich atmosphere and water ocean-covered surface.

Whenever I hear about the possibility of life on another planet, my first thought is whether there will be as many gods and demons there too as our own planet has. A friend of mine accuses me of perversity because of this thought though I don’t know why thoughts about gods should be perverse in any way. Will the creatures on those planets be fighting with each other in the names of those gods too as we do here? Or will they be more intelligent? Really spiritual?

A few years ago, I read a novel about life on another planet where a Christian pastor from the earth reaches to sate the spiritual thirst of the creatures there: The Book of Strange New Things. Spirituality can be painful even on another planet!

I’m waiting for James Webb and other technology to teach me more – both about other planets and the divine beings there.

Comments

  1. Yamini MacLeanSeptember 13, 2023 at 12:41 PM

    Hari Om
    Where there is life there will be that eternal struggle called survival. Where that exists it follows there will be competition for resources. This builds to conflict and all living things face it. If they dey develop self awareness, then the curiosity of why will drive enquiry...and development of theories such as "an originator" from which all arose... YAM xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pradeep NairSeptember 13, 2023 at 8:49 PM

    To me, life on another planet is still a fantasy ... If there has to be one, it will have to be a form of life that is different from what we have here. So, everything else will also be different ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalSeptember 13, 2023 at 9:00 PM

      Yes, I too believe that life on another planet will be quite different. I am pretty sure they will be more sensible than us :)

      Delete
  3. SGSeptember 13, 2023 at 11:41 PM

    These scientists should have consulted with Elon Musk before naming the planet. Elon named 3 of his kids - X Æ A-Xii, Exa Dark Sideræl, and Techno Mechanicus. HeHeHe

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anita SabatSeptember 14, 2023 at 12:48 AM

    They have found a fossil of a non-human-like creature in Mexico.
    Looks like aliens have been visiting Planet Earth from the past hundreds of years...
    The way science is advancing, we will know about the system in their planets in a couple of years!

    ReplyDelete
  5. magiceyeSeptember 15, 2023 at 6:32 PM

    More minds to conquer!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Pooja MahimkarSeptember 19, 2023 at 12:34 PM

    It would be a shame if we are alone in this universe, imagine we being just alone.

    ReplyDelete
  7. CareenaSeptember 22, 2023 at 11:51 AM

    I'm sure we'll find many similarities between our gods and thier gods!

    ReplyDelete
  8. indu chhibberFebruary 17, 2024 at 11:44 AM

    Why worry about life on other planets,we can't even live harmoniously on our own.

    ReplyDelete

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