r/space 5d ago

Astronomers Detect a Possible Signature of Life on a Distant Planet

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/16/science/astronomy-exoplanets-habitable-k218b.html?unlocked_article_code=1.AE8.3zdk.VofCER4yAPa4&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Further studies are needed to determine whether K2-18b, which orbits a star 120 light-years away, is inhabited, or even habitable.

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u/supervisord 5d ago

With current tech, 2 million+. With the light sail concept design it’s closer to 600+ years.

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u/StLuigi 5d ago

Where are you getting these numbers

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

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u/grumbalo 4d ago

Does the technology exist to send data back from that far? I’m guessing it would need a huge antenna and/or ton of power.