We know that some solar systems in the Universe have planets within them known as the “Goldilocks Zone”, just like Earth. How is it the same technology used to discover these planets is not able to detect if life, especially the intelligent type, also inhabits them?

Question

Scientists are able to observe these planets from vast distances. You would think with technological capability like this that we would also be able to detect if planets in these zones possess life on them. Trying to understand how or why this is the case.

In: Planetary Science

Answer 1

We are not able to “observe” these planets like you seem to think.

We look at the star the planet orbits and see its sometimes a bit dimmer and we assume that thats caused by a planet in front of the star.

We are far away from looking at a picture of a planet that has even 4 pixels. Like realy far, like we need a telescope nearly a light year away or a lense the size of a planet.

To know that a planet is in this Goldielocks zone means we only have to know its mass and its orbit around the star, you can know that by looking at how often it passes in front of the star already.

So we dont need a HD picture of a planet to know that it could have liquid water and all that.

But to know there is intelligent aliens on that planet would probanly een require us to send a probe there. From recent storues abiut venus we know detecting a gas is not enough to confirm intelignent aliens.