Scientists have claimed that hydrogen and helium-rich exoplanets could be habitable for billions of years.
Scientists from the universities of Bern and Zurich in Switzerland have conducted a new study on the search for life beyond Earth, the website “zmescience.com” reported.
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In the study, scientists examined rocky exoplanets thought to be rich in the elements hydrogen and helium.
Scientists determined that unlike other planets in the Solar System, which are rich in elements such as oxygen and nitrogen, rocky exoplanets have more hydrogen and helium elements due to their location.
In calculations of how long conditions suitable for life on rocky exoplanets can last, scientists have determined that some rocky exoplanets can have habitable conditions for up to 8 billion years.
“Planets with high concentrations of the elements hydrogen and helium may be deficient in the greenhouse gases necessary for life, but if the atmospheres of these planets are large enough, the element hydrogen can act as a greenhouse gas,” scientists said in the study.
Researchers also note that most exoplanets have a significant volume of water, which increases the surface temperature and creates the basic conditions for life.
On June 17, NASA announced the discovery of two Earth-like rocky exoplanets orbiting a dwarf star near the Solar System.
According to the data shared by NASA on its website, the number of exoplanets discovered and confirmed so far has reached 5,44.
Thirty percent of the confirmed exoplanets are gas giants. Gas planets such as Jupiter or Saturn are in this class.
Planets orbiting other stars outside the Solar System are called “exoplanets”.
