The search for life beyond Earth continues in good faith. Astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory as well as the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton are contributing to the search for new research and hope to lay the groundwork for future projects.

Researchers use Chandra to study the radiation emitted by nearby stars and determine whether an exoplanet orbiting those stars is habitable. At high enough levels, X-rays and ultraviolet radiation can damage an exoplanet’s atmosphere and reduce the likelihood of life (at least as far as we know).

“Without X-ray characterization of the host star, we would have missed an important element of whether a planet is actually habitable,” said California State Polytechnic University astronomer Breanna Binder, who led the exoplanet search.

The team has examined 57 nearby stars so far, analyzing the brightness and energy of the X-rays and how quickly the X-rays change due to star explosions. “We identified stars where the X-ray environment in the habitable zone is similar to, or even milder than, the environment in which Earth evolved,” said researcher Sarah Peacock of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. “Such conditions could play an important role in supporting a rich atmosphere similar to that found on Earth.”

Although only a few of the 57 stars have habitable exoplanets, there are likely many more habitable exoplanets; We haven’t found them yet. For context, we have discovered more than 5,500 exoplanets, but there are approximately 10,000 more candidates under evaluation. After all, only the Milky Way galaxy is likely to exist billions outer planets

“We don’t know how many Earth-like planets will be imaged by next-generation telescopes, but we do know that observation time will be precious and extremely difficult to obtain,” said university astrobiologist Edward Schwieterman. In Riverside, California. “This X-ray data helps refine and prioritize the target list and may allow us to obtain the first image of an Earth-like planet sooner.”