Summary:
Astronomers have discovered for the first time the presence of water in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting within the habitable zone of a distant star. The planet which is called K2-18b, according to the findings in the journal may be 'a plausible candidate in the search for alien life'. Within 10 years, new space telescopes might be able to determine whether K2-18b's atmosphere contains gases that could be produced by living organisms, the journal had stated. “This is the first time that we have detected water on a planet in the habitable zone around a star where the temperature is potentially compatible with the presence of life,” she was quoted as saying in a BBC News report. The habitable zone is the region around a star where temperatures are sufficiently benign for water to exist in liquid form on the surface of a planet..