WEBVTT FILE 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.539 >> HUBBLE HAS DISCOVERED WATER VAPOR ON A SUPER EARTH 2 00:00:05.539 --> 00:00:11.445 >> The Hubble Space Telescope has made the very first detection of water... 3 00:00:11.445 --> 00:00:19.553 >> ...in the atmosphere of an exoplanet orbiting in its star's habitable zone. 4 00:00:19.553 --> 00:00:24.324 >> The habitable zone is the region around a star where 5 00:00:24.324 --> 00:00:32.399 >> temperatures would let liquid water exist on a planet's surface. 6 00:00:32.399 --> 00:00:39.806 >> K2-18b, which is eight times the mass of Earth, is the first planet outside the solar system 7 00:00:39.806 --> 00:00:46.079 >> in the habitable zone known to have water in its atmosphere. 8 00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:59.126 >> Using Hubble data, scientists analyzed the starlight filtered through K2-18b’s atmosphere. 9 00:00:59.126 --> 00:01:10.604 >> The team found the molecular signature of water vapor in the planet’s atmosphere. 10 00:01:10.604 --> 00:01:16.143 >> Located 110 light-years from Earth, K2-18b orbits a dwarf star that’s much smaller, cooler, and more active than 11 00:01:16.143 --> 00:01:22.816 >> the Sun, which could affect its atmosphere and environment. 12 00:01:22.816 --> 00:01:30.023 >> While we won’t be able to know if it’s truly habitable... 13 00:01:30.023 --> 00:01:42.569 >> we’ll use future telescopes, like the James Webb Space Telescope, to seek answers to one of the biggest questions. 14 00:01:42.569 --> 00:01:56.083 >> Is Earth unique? 15 00:01:56.083 --> 00:00:00.000 [SILENCE]