Astronomy › Section W · Life in the universe › Topic W.2
Searching for life beyond Earth
Robots now drill into Martian rock, spacecraft fly through the plumes of icy moons, and telescopes split the light of planets around other stars. None has yet found life, but each search is sharper than the last, and each tantalising hint has taught astronomers how careful a real claim must be.
In this topic
- Three ways to look
- Mars, past and present
- Perseverance and a potential biosignature
- Ocean moons of the outer solar system
- The habitable zone
- Worked example: Proxima Centauri b
- More than distance
- Biosignatures
- Worked example: reading starlight through an atmosphere
- Tantalising claims and caution
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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