NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory "will draw on technologies proven by the agency’s Hubble, Webb and upcoming Roman Space Telescopes," to search for life outside our solar system, according to the Goddard Space Flight Center.
Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Narrator: John Rhys-Davies
Animators: Chris Smith (KBR Wyle Services, LLC) Jonathan North (eMITS) Jenny McElligott (eMITS)
Producers: Scott Wiessinger (eMITS) Chris Smith (KBR Wyle Services, LLC) Claire Andreoli (NASA/GSFC)
Editor: Scott Wiessinger (eMITS)
Audio engineer: Jacob Pinter (eMITS)
Writers: Claire Andreoli (NASA/GSFC) Chris Smith (KBR Wyle Services, LLC) Yesenia Arroyo (Southeastern Universities Research Association) Pat Brennan (JPL)
Scientists: Aki Roberge (NASA/GSFC) Giada Arney (NASA/GSFC)
Music credit: “Learning to Fly,” Andre Jesus Oliviera [PRS], Universal Production Music
00:01The stars above, what secrets do they keep? One of our biggest questions has
00:08always been, are we alone? We've now discovered thousands of planets beyond
00:14our solar system, but how many of those distant worlds have the conditions for
00:18life as we know it? How many have water vapor, a beacon indicating that oceans
00:25might be present? How many of gases like oxygen and methane, possible signs of
00:32life itself? And of those, which might truly have life? After decades of asking, a
00:40future NASA telescope could bring us the answers.
00:46The habitable world's observator is a future mission designed in the
00:52tradition of the Hubble and Webb space telescopes. It will use its unique and
00:58sensitive eyes to see planets like our own, hiding in the light of their distant
01:03stars. Astronomers could then point this mighty space observatory to the most
01:13promising planets, those that may hold liquid water. With the help of its
01:21coronagraph instrument, which blocks out the dazzling starlight, the telescope
01:26will look for undiscovered Earth-sized planets in the star's habitable zone
01:31where liquid water could exist. The light from each planet will be split into a
01:38vibrant spectrum of colors, revealing clues to the chemical signatures we seek.
01:43From there, we can attempt to discover if a planet's atmosphere contains water, and from
01:50there other signals like oxygen or methane. Should all these signs align, the habitable
01:58world's observatory would delve deeper to reveal other hidden clues of life.
02:08With further study, we could find signs of sprawling oceans and rugged continents. And if signs of life are revealed,
02:18keep a watchful eye for changes over time.
02:25This magnificent observatory could discover dozens of worlds akin to our own in its
02:32first five years. The telescope will gather data on a wide variety of worlds, placing our
02:40own solar system in the context within the grand tapestry of existence. And the habitable
02:47world's observatory will, like the other great cosmic watchers, Hubble, Chandra, Spitzer, Webb, and soon
02:53Roman, also conduct a wide range of revolutionary observations of our cosmos, improving our
03:01understanding of how our universe led to potentially habitable worlds. Thus, the habitable world's observatory will help us embark on a quest as grand as any.
03:16To tell the story of life in the cosmos. And whether or not we are alone.
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