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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Science
Richard Luscombe

Nasa says distant exoplanet could have rare water ocean and possible hint of life

An artist's illustration of the James Webb space telescope in space.
An artist's illustration of the James Webb space telescope in space. Photograph: Nasa/UPI/Rex/Shutterstock

Scientists at Nasa have announced the existence of a possible rare water ocean on a giant exoplanet scores of light years away and also a chemical hint of a sign of potential life.

The “intriguing” discovery was made by the space agency’s James Webb telescope, peering 120 light years from Earth in the constellation Leo, building on earlier studies of the region using Webb’s predecessors, Hubble and Kepler.

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