Are there aliens and life outside Planet Earth? The National Institute of Space and Aviation (LAPAN) will start researching planets outside the solar system, or exoplanets, in 2021.
This was said by Researcher of LAPAN, Rhorom Priyatikno. According to him, research to detect exoplanets will be carried out in 2021. This has been included in LAPAN's strategic research plan to find other life or aliens and habitable places besides Earth.
"The first step in the search for other life outside Earth is to find planets with conditions that are considered habitable," Rhorom said as quoted by CNNIndonesia.com, Tuesday (26/10/2020).
LAPAN said it would start studying transient phenomena. According to Rhorom, exoplanet is a form of transient phenomenon.
"In our strategic research plan, next year LAPAN will begin a study of transient phenomena, namely phenomena that occur incidentally. One of the objectives is detection and characterization of exoplanets," he said.
Transient celestial bodies have no fixed light. They include novas, supernovae, gamma ray bursts and flares from galactic cores. Even so with exoplanets because they can only be detected when they are passing through their parent star
LAPAN is optimistic that it can conduct this research from the Timau National Observatory in East Nusa Tenggara. The dark conditions of the night sky there are ideal for space monitoring.
"Currently, LAPAN does not have an exoplanet research program. However, with the operation of the Timau National Observatory in NTT, we hope to be able to detect and characterize exoplanets," said Rhorom.
Researchers from various countries have indeed been doing exoplanet hunting, but Indonesia has not started this hunt even though it already has the LAPAN space agency.
If LAPAN is researching exoplanets, then they will align themselves with other world space research institutes. Exoplanet research has been widely carried out in other countries.
Source:
Tim - detikInet
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