All language subtitles for Spaces.Deepest.Secrets.S06E04.Finding.Alien.Moons.720p.WEBRip.x264-CAFFEiNE[eztv]

Narrator:
ACROSS THE WORLD, ASTRONOMERS
ARE LOCKED IN A RACE.

THEY WANT TO BE THE FIRST
TO DISCOVER A MOON

OUTSIDE OUR SOLAR SYSTEM --
A SO-CALLED EXOMOON.

BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM --
THEY CAN'T FIND ANY.

Oluseyi:
WHAT'S WEIRD ABOUT THIS IS THAT

THERE'S LIKELY
TRILLIONS OF EXOMOONS.

Narrator:
ASTRONOMERS HAVE FOUND
THOUSANDS OF PLANETS

ORBITING DISTANT STARS,

BUT NONE OF THEM
APPEAR TO HAVE MOONS.

THERE HAVE TO BE EXOMOONS,
OF COURSE THERE ARE EXOMOONS.

Narrator: ARE THEY SIMPLY
TOO HARD TO FIND,

OR IS OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM,
WHICH HAS MANY MOONS, UNIQUE?

NOW A NEW GENERATION OF ADVANCED
TELESCOPES HUNTS FOR CLUES.

MAYBE WE'RE GONNA FIND SOMETHING
REALLY, REALLY STRANGE.

LITERALLY THE FIRST EXOMOON
WE FIND COULD BE EARTHLIKE.

Narrator: WHO WILL MAKE
THE FIRST CONFIRMED DISCOVERY

AND SOLVE THE MYSTERY
OF THESE MISSING MOONS?

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

EARTH'S MOON DOMINATES
THE NIGHT SKY.

ITS IMMENSE GRAVITY RAISES
TIDES IN THE OCEANS,

AND ITS 27-DAY PASSAGE
AROUND EARTH

MARKS THE MONTHS OF THE YEAR.

BUT OUR PLANET ISN'T ALONE
IN HAVING A MOON.

A MOON IS DEFINED
IN A NUMBER OF WAYS --

ONE, IT HAS TO BE SMALLER
THAN ITS HOST PLANET,

AND IT HAS TO CIRCLE
ITS HOST PLANET.

IF SOMETHING DOES THOSE
TWO THINGS, IT'S A MOON.

Narrator:
THERE ARE MORE THAN 150 MOONS
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,

EACH MOON IS DIFFERENT.

FROM VIOLENTLY VOLCANIC IO
IN CLOSE ORBIT AROUND JUPITER,

TO SATURN'S LARGEST MOON, TITAN,

THAT CONCEALS VAST LAKES
OF LIQUID METHANE AND ETHANE.

SCIENTISTS EXPECT ALIEN PLANETS
IN DISTANT SOLAR SYSTEMS

TO HAVE MOONS, TOO.

THEY CALL THESE "EXOMOONS."

THE PROBLEM IS, NO MATTER
HOW HARD ASTRONOMERS LOOK,

THEY CAN'T FIND THEM.

♪

THERE COULD BE UP TO A TRILLION
EXOMOONS IN OUR GALAXY ALONE,

AND WE HAVE YET
TO DISCOVER ONE.

Narrator:
SCIENTISTS ARE DESPERATE TO MAKE
THE FIRST CONFIRMED DISCOVERY

OF AN EXOMOON,
NOT JUST TO PROVE THEY EXIST,

BUT BECAUSE MANY MOONS
COULD BE HOST

TO SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL
INDEED -- ALIEN LIFE.

♪

SCIENTISTS NOW BELIEVE
THAT THE SURFACES

AND DEEP INTERIORS
OF SOME MOONS

COULD BE A BETTER PLACE
TO FIND LIQUID WATER

THAN THE PLANETS
THEY SURROUND.

THESE MOONS COULD PROVIDE
THE PERFECT CONDITIONS

FOR SOME FORM OF LIFE
TO HAVE TAKEN HOLD,

JUST LIKE IT DID
ON THE EARLY EARTH.

IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM, SOME OF
THE MOST LIKELY ENVIRONMENTS

FOR LIFE ARE NOT ON THE PLANETS,
BUT THEY'RE ON THE MOONS.

IN OTHER STAR SYSTEMS,
WHY SHOULD IT BE ANY DIFFERENT?

LIFE ON MOONS MAY BE FAR MORE
COMMON THAN LIFE ON PLANETS.

Narrator: BUT MOONS ARE SMALLER
THAN PLANETS.

THIS MAKES THEM
HARDER TO DETECT.

SO SCIENTISTS ARE TURNING
TO EVERMORE NOVEL

AND INGENIOUS METHODS
TO TRACK THEM DOWN.

IN THE NETHERLANDS,
ASTRONOMER MATT KENWORTHY

HAS RECENTLY MADE
AN INCREDIBLE BREAKTHROUGH.

HE THINKS HE MAY HAVE UNCOVERED
INDIRECT EVIDENCE

OF AN EXOMOON
430 LIGHT-YEARS FROM EARTH.

I THINK IT'S VERY EXCITING,

BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING
WHICH IS BRAND-NEW,

AND WE DON'T KNOW
THE ANSWERS YET.

MATT'S DISCOVERY IS BASED
ON AN EXTRAORDINARY OBSERVATION.

TO HUNT DOWN PLANETS,
ASTRONOMERS LOOK FOR TINY DIPS

IN LIGHT AS THE PLANET PASSES
IN FRONT OF ITS HOST STAR.

MATT FINDS ONE OF THESE DIPS,

BUT IT'S UNLIKE ANYTHING
HE'S SEEN BEFORE --

SOMETHING ENORMOUS IS
BLOCKING LIGHT FROM THE STAR.

WE TYPICALLY LOOK AT A SIGNAL
FOR ABOUT SIX HOURS OR SO

WHILST THE PLANET BLOCKS OUT

A SMALL AMOUNT OF LIGHT
FROM THE STAR.

THIS LASTED MUCH LONGER.

INSTEAD OF SIX HOURS,
THIS LASTED OVER TWO MONTHS.

Narrator: AND EVEN STRANGER,
IN PLACES THE VAST OBJECT

APPEARS TO LET LIGHT THROUGH.

INSTEAD OF A NICE, SMOOTH CURVE,

YOU CAN SEE
LOTS OF RAPID VARIATION.

IT'S LIKE SOMEBODY'S

SWITCHING THE STAR ON AND OFF
VERY RAPIDLY.

AND EVEN DURING
INDIVIDUAL NIGHTS,

YOU CAN SEE THE STAR CHANGE
BRIGHTNESS BY AS MUCH AS 50%.

Narrator:
MATT IS CONVINCED THAT THIS
WEIRD SIGNAL MEANS ONE THING --

THE OBJECT
BLOCKING THE STARLIGHT

MUST BE AN ALIEN PLANET
WITH MULTIPLE RINGS LIKE SATURN

BUT ON A MUCH LARGER SCALE.

GAPS IN THESE RINGS
WOULD EXPLAIN

WHY IT'S LETTING LIGHT THROUGH.

AND IT ALSO HINTS
AT AN EXTRAORDINARY POSSIBILITY.

COULD THERE BE EXOMOONS
HIDING IN THE GAPS?

LET'S SEE
IF WE CAN FIND SATURN.

AH, OKAY, THERE WE GO.

I CAN SEE THE RINGS.

♪

Narrator:
SATURN'S RINGS ARE MADE
FROM TRILLIONS OF ICY PARTICLES.

BUT THE GAPS FORM WHEN
THESE PARTICLES COLLIDE

AND STICK TOGETHER
TO CREATE TINY MOONLETS.

AS THEY SWEEP UP
MORE AND MORE DEBRIS,

BOTH THE MOONLETS
AND THE GAPS GROW BIGGER.

SCIENTISTS THINK THAT THIS
IS HOW MOST MOONS FORM

AROUND NEWLY BORN PLANETS.

YOUNG PLANETS WITH RINGS

COULD BE NOTHING MORE
THAN GIGANTIC MOON FACTORIES.

THE THING WE KNOW FROM OUR
EXAMPLE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM

IS THAT RINGS
AND MOONS ARE RELATED.

IF YOU CAN FIND RINGS
AROUND A PLANET,

THERE'S A VERY, VERY GOOD CHANCE
THERE MUST BE MOONS.

SO LOOK FOR THE RINGS, AND LOOK
FOR GAPS IN THE RINGS.

Narrator: MATT ANALYZES
THE FLICKERING STARLIGHT

TO WORK OUT WHAT THE RINGS
OF THE ALIEN PLANET

MIGHT LOOK LIKE.

WHAT HE FINDS
IS TRULY INCREDIBLE.

AT LEAST 37 SEPARATE RINGS,
200 TIMES LARGER THAN SATURN'S,

SPAN OVER 110 MILLION MILES.

ONE OF THE GAPS
BETWEEN THE RINGS

IS ALMOST
2.5 MILLION MILES WIDE.

MATT SUSPECTS
IT COULD BE HOME

TO SOMETHING
NEVER SEEN BEFORE...

...A GIANT EXOMOON IN
THE FINAL STAGES OF FORMATION.

BUT TO CLEAR OUT A GAP THAT BIG,
JUST HOW LARGE IS IT?

MATT USES COMPUTER SIMULATIONS
TO FIND OUT.

Kenworthy:
BECAUSE WE SEE THIS CLEARED GAP
IN THE RING SYSTEM,

ONE POSSIBLE INTERPRETATION

IS THAT THERE IS A MOON
FORMING RIGHT NOW,

AND IT'S VACUUMING UP --
IT'S USING GRAVITY TO CLEAR OUT

ALL THE DUST OF THAT PARTICULAR
LOCATION IN THE RING SYSTEM.

AND HOW WIDE THAT RING GAP IS
GIVES US A VERY GOOD ESTIMATE

OF HOW MASSIVE THE MOON
IS RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT.

AND WE WORKED OUT
THAT IT SHOULD BE SOMETHING

ON THE ORDER
OF THE SIZE OF MARS.

Narrator: THE BIGGEST MOONS
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

ARE JUPITER'S GANYMEDE
AND SATURN'S TITAN,

BUT MATT'S EXOMOON IS AT LEAST
FOUR TIMES AS MASSIVE.

ON THE SCALE OF A ROCKY PLANET.

HIS DISCOVERY IS EXCITING,

BUT IT RESTS
ON JUST ONE SINGLE OBSERVATION.

MATT NEEDS MORE DATA TO SAY
FOR SURE THAT HIS GIANT,

MARS-SIZED EXOMOON IS REAL.

THE PROBLEM IS, HE HAS NO IDEA
WHEN THE ALIEN-RINGED PLANET

WITH ITS EXOMOON WILL PASS
IN FRONT OF ITS STAR AGAIN.

IT'S A VERY LARGE STRUCTURE,
AND SO IT MUST TAKE

A VERY LONG TIME TO ORBIT.

SO IT WOULDN'T BE
TOO SURPRISING

IF IT TOOK ANYWHERE
BETWEEN 10 TO 20 YEARS

FOR THIS THING
TO BLOCK THE STARLIGHT AGAIN.

WE'VE DETECTED A GIANT
RING SYSTEM,

SOMETHING HUNDREDS OF TIMES
THE SIZE OF SATURN'S RINGS.

HAVE WE INDIRECTLY DETECTED
THE FIRST EXOMOONS?

POSSIBLY.

Narrator:
WHILE MATT WAITS FOR NEW DATA
TO WIN THE EXOMOON RACE,

OTHERS ARE HOT ON HIS HEELS
AND HOPE TO BEAT HIM TO IT.

IN NEW MEXICO, ONE SCIENTIST
PLANS TO FIND THESE MOONS

BY LISTENING TO THE NIGHT SKY.

Narrator:
SCIENTISTS ARE IN A RACE

TO MAKE THE FIRST CONFIRMED
DISCOVERY OF AN EXOMOON,

A MOON OUTSIDE OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
THAT ORBITS AN ALIEN PLANET.

ASTRONOMER
MARIALIS ROSARIO-FRANCO

PIONEERS A REMARKABLE
NEW TECHNIQUE

TO DETECT THESE MOONS.

USING A RADIO TELESCOPE
LIKE THIS ONE IN NEW MEXICO,

SHE ATTEMPTS TO TUNE IN
TO THEIR GALACTIC BROADCASTS.

RADIO TELESCOPES
DETECT RADIO WAVES,

A FORM OF LIGHT
THAT WE CAN'T SEE

BUT IS THE BASIS
FOR RADIO COMMUNICATION.

Rosario-Franco: WE ARE AT
THE LONG WAVELENGTH ARRAY

AND WHAT WE HAVE
IS ABOUT 200 ANTENNAS,

AND TOGETHER THEY MAKE UP
A RADIO TELESCOPE.

Narrator: MARIALIS BELIEVES THAT
THE GEOLOGY OF CERTAIN EXOMOONS

MAY TURN THEM INTO
NATURAL RADIO TRANSMITTERS.

DISCOVERING THESE COULD BE
AS SIMPLE

AS PICKING UP THEIR SIGNAL.

TO PROVE IT, SHE TUNES IN TO
A MOON MUCH CLOSER TO HOME.

[ STATIC ]

Rosario-Franco: SO, WHAT WE'RE
LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW,

YOU'LL NOTICE THEY SOUND
LIKE POPPING SOUNDS.

Narrator:
THIS IS THE RADIO SIGNAL
FROM JUPITER'S MOON, IO.

THE TWO RADIO SIGNALS THAT IO
MAKES ARE L- AND S-BURSTS.

"L" STANDS FOR "LONG-BURST,"
"S" STANDS FOR "SHORT."

WHAT WE'RE LISTENING TO
RIGHT NOW ARE S-BURSTS.

Narrator:
WHAT TURNS A MOON LIKE IO
INTO A RADIO TRANSMITTER?

THE SURPRISING ANSWER?

VOLCANOES.

IO IS THE MOST VOLCANICALLY
ACTIVE WORLD

IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

ITS HUNDREDS OF VOLCANOES
SPEW OUT VAST AMOUNTS OF GAS.

JUPITER'S POWERFUL MAGNETIC
FIELD CHARGES AND CORRALS

THIS GAS INTO AN ENORMOUS
DOUGHNUT OF ELECTRIC FOG

THAT SURROUNDS THE PLANET.

AS IO ORBITS AROUND JUPITER,

IT INTERACTS WITH THIS FOG
AND JUPITER'S MAGNETIC FIELD...

...TRIGGERING THE RELEASE OF
RADIO WAVES FAR OUT INTO SPACE.

JUPITER HAS
A STRONG MAGNETIC FIELD,

AND THAT INTERACTS
WITH ONE OF ITS MOONS, IO,

AND THAT PRODUCES A TREMENDOUS
AMOUNT OF RADIO ENERGY.

IF OTHER PLANETS HAVE
MAGNETIC FIELDS

AND THEY HAVE MOONS
LIKE IO,

WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DETECT
THAT RADIO ENERGY FROM THEM

WITHOUT EVER ACTUALLY
HAVING SEEN THE PLANET

OR THE MOON THEMSELVES.

PLANETS LIKE JUPITER ARE
INCREDIBLY COMMON IN OUR GALAXY,

THERE'S HUNDREDS
OF BILLIONS OF THEM.

SO THIS MEANS THAT THERE MUST
BE TRILLIONS OF EXOMOONS.

Narrator:
SCIENTISTS HAVE DISCOVERED

OVER 1,000 GAS-GIANT PLANETS
IN OUR GALAXY,

AND THEY EXPECT THEM
TO HAVE STRONG MAGNETIC FIELDS.

IF VOLCANIC MOONS, LIKE IO,
ORBIT THESE PLANETS,

THEN RADIO TELESCOPES
MAY BE ABLE TO DETECT THEM.

NOT ONLY THAT, ANY LUNAR RADIO
SIGNAL THAT WE PICK UP

WILL GIVE US CRITICAL
INFORMATION ABOUT THE MOON.

WHEN WE ANALYZED THE INTENSITY

AND THE FREQUENCY
OF THESE SIGNALS,

WE CAN EXTRAPOLATE
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

OF BOTH THE MOON AND THE PLANET
AND HOW THEY'RE INTERACTING.

NOT ONLY THAT, WE CAN
EXTRAPOLATE THE RADIOS OF BOTH

AND ALSO HOW DISTANT THE MOON
IS FROM ITS HOST PLANET.

Narrator:
IF MARIALIS IS RIGHT, SHE'LL BE
ABLE TO FIND VOLCANIC EXOMOONS

AND MEASURE THEIR SIZE JUST BY
LISTENING TO THE NIGHT SKY.

IT'S AN AMAZING CONCEPT.

BUT MARIALIS HAS BEEN DOING THIS
FOR OVER A YEAR NOW,

AND SHE'S YET TO FIND A SIGNAL.

IT COULD BE THAT
THE RADIO SIGNALS

ARE TOO DISTANT AND WEAK.

BUT SOON, A NEW GENERATION
OF RADIO TELESCOPES

WILL OFFER
EVEN GREATER SENSITIVITY.

MARIALIS BELIEVES DETECTING
A VOLCANIC EXOMOON

IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME.

Tremblay: THESE VOLCANIC MOONS,
LIKE IO, COULD BE,

LIKE, BEACONS IN THE VOID --
THESE RADIO BEACONS

THAT WE CAN FINALLY USE
TO DISCOVER AN EXOMOON.

SO FAR, OUR TELESCOPES AREN'T
NEARLY SENSITIVE ENOUGH

TO ACTUALLY DETECT VOLCANIC
EMISSION IN AN EXOMOON.

BUT THERE ARE FUTURE TELESCOPES
ON THE HORIZON

THAT MAY START TO ACHIEVE
THE SENSITIVITY NEEDS

REQUIRED TO ACTUALLY MAKE
SUCH A STUNNING OBSERVATION.

Narrator:
WHILE MARIALIS HUNTS FOR RADIO
SIGNALS FROM VOLCANIC MOONS,

OTHER ASTRONOMERS HAVE SET
THEIR SIGHTS

ON SOMETHING
EVEN MORE EXTRAORDINARY.

THEY'RE SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING

STRAIGHT OUT
OF SCIENCE FICTION --

HABITABLE, EARTHLIKE MOONS
THAT COULD HARBOR ALIEN LIFE.

AND WILL THIS OCEAN EXPLORER
BE THE FIRST TO PROVE

THE EXISTENCE OF LIFE ON A MOON
WITHIN OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM?

Narrator: THE RACE IS ON
TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY

OF THE MISSING EXOMOONS --

MINI WORLDS THAT ORBIT
AROUND ALIEN PLANETS.

SO FAR, SCIENTISTS HAVE
TANTALIZING EVIDENCE

OF AN EXOMOON
THE SIZE OF MARS

FORMING WITHIN THE RINGS
OF A NEWLY BORN PLANET.

BUT TO TRULY FULFILL
THE DREAMS OF SCIENCE FICTION,

ASTRONOMERS WANT TO FIND
AN EARTHLIKE MOON

THAT CAN SUSTAIN LIFE, LIKE US.

Oluseyi: WHAT DO WE MEAN
WHEN WE SAY

WE'RE LOOKING FOR
AN EARTHLIKE PLACE?

WELL, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
HAVING SURFACE LIQUIDS,

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
HAVING AN ATMOSPHERE,

WHICH IS NECESSARY
FOR SURFACE LIQUIDS,

AND HAVING SUFFICIENT ENERGY
TO SUPPORT LIFE.

IF WE WERE TO FIND LIFE
ON AN EARTHLIKE MOON,

THAT WOULD CHANGE EVERYTHING.

Narrator:
DAVID KIPPING IS AN ASTRONOMER

WHO HUNTS FOR EARTHLIKE EXOMOONS
THAT COULD HARBOR LIFE.

Kipping:
FOR ME, ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS
TO LOOK FOR EXOMOONS

HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT THEY MAY
OUTNUMBER HABITABLE PLANETS

OUT THERE IN THE UNIVERSE.

Narrator: DAVID HAS DISCOVERED
SOMETHING INTRIGUING --

A GAS GIANT
4,000 LIGHT-YEARS FROM EARTH

ABOUT THE SIZE OF JUPITER,
CALLED KEPLER-1625B.

IT ORBITS ITS STAR
AT ABOUT THE SAME DISTANCE

AS THE EARTH
GOES AROUND THE SUN.

IT'S COMPLETELY UNINHABITABLE
FOR LIFE AS WE KNOW IT.

IT HAS A THICK, SWIRLING
ATMOSPHERE OF NOXIOUS GAS

AND A TINY, ROCKY CORE.

DAVID THINKS THIS PLANET
MAY HAVE AN EXOMOON.

WE LOOK FOR EXOMOONS
IN A VERY SIMILAR WAY

TO WHERE WE LOOK
FOR EXOPLANETS.

WE HAVE A STAR WHICH IS
EMITTING PLENTY OF LIGHT,

AND THERE IS A PLANET NEARBY.

AND AS IT PASSES IN FRONT
OF THE STAR,

IT WILL NOW BE
BLOCKING OUT STARLIGHT.

SO IF I MEASURE THE BRIGHTNESS
OF THE STAR OVER TIME,

IT WOULD SEEM TO DECREASE
FOR A SHORT INTERVAL.

THAT TELLS ME
THERE'S A PLANET THERE.

NOW, IF THIS PLANET ALSO
HAS A MOON JUST AHEAD HERE,

YOU CAN SEE
THE PLANET-MOON SYSTEM,

AS IT MOVES ACROSS, THE MOON
IS GOING TO ENTER TRANSIT FIRST.

SO I'M GOING TO SEE ANOTHER
EXTRA LITTLE DIP OVER HERE.

AND THEN, LATER ON, THE MOON
IS GOING TO EXIT TRANSIT FIRST.

I'M GOING TO ACTUALLY SEE
A LITTLE EGRESS FEATURE.

SO WE LOOK FOR THESE TELL-TALE
SIGNATURES OF MOONS IN OUR DATA,

AND IF WE SEE SOMETHING
LIKE THIS,

WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE
A GOOD EXOMOON CANDIDATE.

Narrator:
IT TAKES DAVID SEVEN YEARS
TO FINALLY FIND A PLANET

WITH THE ELUSIVE SIGNATURE
OF A POTENTIAL EXOMOON.

THIS IS ONE OF THE THREE
TRANSITS OF KEPLER-1625B

AS OBSERVED
BY THE KEPLER TELESCOPE.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE
IS A BIG DIP IN LIGHT

DUE TO THE PLANET PASSING
IN FRONT OF THE STAR.

THAT TELLS US THAT THE SIZE
OF THE PLANET IS LARGE.

YOU'LL ALSO NOTICE THAT
THERE'S SOME SMALL SIGNATURES,

SOME LITTLE SHOULDERS HERE.

WE THINK THE MOON IS ACTUALLY
SLIGHTLY AHEAD OF THE PLANET.

AND THEN EVENTUALLY THE MOON
LEAVES THE STAR.

THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING
ON THAT LITTLE SHOULDER THERE,

THE MOON HAS NOW
LEFT THE DISK OF THE STAR.

THERE'S THESE FOUR KEY MOMENTS
IN TIME --

THE MOON ENTERING,
THE PLANET ENTERING,

THE MOON EXITING,
AND THE PLANET EXITING.

Narrator:
DAVID'S DISCOVERY IS REMARKABLE.

IF CONFIRMED, THIS IS
THE FIRST DEFINITIVE PROOF

OF A MOON
OUTSIDE OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

BUT IS IT THE ELUSIVE
EARTHLIKE MOON

THAT DAVID HAS
BEEN SEARCHING FOR?

OBSERVATIONS SUGGEST
THAT THE EXOMOON, IF IT EXISTS,

IS MASSIVE, AT LEAST THREE TIMES
THE SIZE OF EARTH.

THAT MEANS IT'S LIKELY TO HAVE
AN ATMOSPHERE

AND PERHAPS EVEN
A VAST OCEAN OF LIQUID WATER.

BILLIONS OF YEARS AGO,

THIS COULD HAVE BEEN
THE PERFECT ENVIRONMENT

FOR LIFE TO TAKE HOLD
AND FLOURISH.

BUT SADLY, TODAY,
IT'S MOST LIKELY STERILE.

ITS AGING STAR HAS GROWN HOTTER

AND IS SLOWLY COOKING
THE MOON'S OCEAN.

THIS MOON ALMOST CERTAINLY
IS NOT A PLACE

WHERE WE WOULD EXPECT LIFE
TO BE LIVING THERE RIGHT NOW.

IT'S ALMOST THE BOILING POINT
OF WATER, HOWEVER, IN THE PAST,

I THINK IT WOULD HAVE
HAD GOOD CHANCES

THAT ITS TEMPERATURE WOULD HAVE
BEEN THE RIGHT LEVEL FOR LIFE,

MAYBE, TO HAVE THRIVED.

THEREFORE DISCOVERING MOONS
LIKE THIS MOON

GIVES US A LOT OF CONFIDENCE
THAT MAYBE THERE ARE

PLENTY OF HABITABLE MOONS
OUT THERE IN THE UNIVERSE.

Narrator: DAVID'S DISCOVERY IS
A POTENTIAL GAME CHANGER.

THE VERY FIRST EXOMOON
THAT WE CONFIRM AS REAL

COULD TURN OUT TO BE THE BOILING
CORPSE OF A ONCE LIVING WORLD.

BUT CAN OTHER ASTRONOMERS
GO ONE BETTER

AND FIND A HABITABLE EXOMOON
THAT'S STILL ALIVE TODAY?

AT MOUNT GRAHAM IN ARIZONA,

ASTRONOMER JUSTIN CREPP
IS ON THE HUNT FOR PLANETS

THAT COULD HIDE
EARTHLIKE MOONS.

HE THINKS THERE COULD BE
COUNTLESS MOONS

THAT ARE HABITABLE RIGHT NOW.

WE JUST NEED TO FIND THEM.

Crepp:
SCIENCE FICTION IS ALWAYS

10 OR 20 YEARS
AHEAD OF REGULAR SCIENCE,

BUT WHAT'S REALLY
INTERESTING NOW

IS WE'RE ACTUALLY HAVING
THE TECHNOLOGIES

AND THE CAPABILITIES
TO REALISTICALLY DETECT

THE SIGNALS OF EARTHLIKE MOONS
FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.

Narrator:
FINDING EARTHLIKE EXOMOONS

PUSHES THE CAPABILITY
OF OUR TECHNOLOGY TO ITS LIMIT.

JUSTIN USES ONE OF
THE LARGEST TELESCOPES

IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE...

...THE LARGE
BINOCULAR TELESCOPE,

THE BIGGEST PAIR
OF BINOCULARS ON THE PLANET.

Crepp: IT'S FLOATED ON
A VERY THIN FILM OF OIL

THAT IS ESSENTIALLY FRICTIONLESS

AND ALLOWS IT TO MOVE WITH SUCH
PRECISE AND EXQUISITE MOTION.

THIS TELESCOPE IS UNIQUE
IN THE SENSE

THAT IT HAS A VERY LARGE
SET OF MIRRORS,

BUT NOT JUST THAT,
IT HAS THE ABILITY

TO CORRECT FOR EARTH'S
TURBULENT ATMOSPHERE.

AND SO IT ALLOWS US TO CREATE
VERY CRISP IMAGES

AS IF WE WERE IN SPACE.

Narrator:
IS JUSTIN SET TO DISCOVER THE
FIRST HABITABLE EARTHLIKE MOON?

AND HAVE SCIENTISTS
IN AUSTRIA PROVED

THAT THERE COULD BE ALIEN LIFE
ON A MOON

A WHOLE LOT CLOSER TO HOME?

Narrator:
SCIENTISTS ARE ON THE HUNT
FOR HABITABLE EXOMOONS --

EARTHLIKE MOONS
THAT COULD HARBOR ALIEN LIFE.

TANTALIZING EVIDENCE
OF AN EXOMOON

WITH A POTENTIAL GIANT OCEAN
PROVES A NEAR MISS.

NOW ONE OF THE LARGEST
TELESCOPES ON THE PLANET

JOINS THE RACE.

ASTRONOMER JUSTIN CREPP USES
THIS MIGHTY MACHINE

TO HUNT FOR PLANETS THAT COULD
HAVE HABITABLE EARTHLIKE MOONS

IN ORBIT AROUND THEM.

HE LOOKS FOR MOON-RICH
GAS GIANTS

THAT LIE WITHIN THE SO-CALLED
HABITABLE ZONE OF THEIR STAR --

THE DISTANCE WHERE IT'S NOT
TOO HOT AND NOT TOO COLD

BUT JUST RIGHT FOR LIFE
AS WE KNOW IT.

Plait:
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM, JUPITER
ORBITS PRETTY FAR FROM THE SUN,

AND ITS ICY MOONS ARE ICY,
THE WATER IS FROZEN.

BUT IF JUPITER TO HAPPENED
TO ORBIT WHERE THE EARTH IS,

THOSE ICY MOONS
WOULD BE LIQUID,

THEY'D HAVE LIQUID WATER
ON THEIR SURFACES

AND MAYBE ATMOSPHERES.

WHEN WE LOOK AT THESE
OTHER STARS,

WE SEE THESE GIANT PLANETS

ORBITING RIGHT AROUND THE PLACE
WHERE THEY'D BE GETTING

AS MUCH LIGHT AND HEAT
AS THE EARTH DOES.

IF THEY HAVE
THESE KINDS OF MOONS,

THAT MIGHT BE A REALLY
COOL PLACE TO LOOK FOR LIFE.

Narrator: TODAY, JUSTIN STUDIES
A JUPITER-SIZED PLANET

CALLED KEPLER-86B.

HE ANALYZES THE ORBIT
TO FIND OUT

HOW FAR IT SITS FROM ITS STAR.

DOES THIS PLANET ORBIT WITHIN
THE HABITABLE ZONE OF ITS STAR?

THE LENGTH OF THE YEAR
OF KEPLER 86

IS VERY SIMILAR
TO THE AMOUNT OF TIME

THAT IT TAKES EARTH TO GO AROUND
THE SUN, AROUND 280 DAYS,

WHICH INDICATES
FOR THIS TYPE OF STAR

THAT IT IS INDEED
IN THE HABITABLE ZONE.

Narrator:
IF THIS GAS GIANT PLANET
HOSTS A HABITABLE MOON,

WE CAN IMAGINE
ITS COSMIC EVOLUTION.

JUST A FEW MILLION YEARS OLD,

THE NEWBORN MOON RESEMBLES
A SCORCHED BALL OF ROCK.

FEROCIOUS VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
BLANKET THE MOON

IN A THICK FOG OF GAS.

THE MOON'S GRAVITY HOLDS
ONTO THIS FOG.

IT GIVES THE MOON AN ATMOSPHERE
AND SHIELDS IT

AGAINST LETHAL RADIATION
FROM ITS NEIGHBORING PLANET.

WATER CONDENSES
ON THE MOON'S SURFACE,

FORMING RIVERS, LAKES,
AND OCEANS...

...PERHAPS ALLOWING LIFE TO
TAKE HOLD, EVOLVE, AND THRIVE.

BUT DOES THIS HABITABLE
EARTHLIKE MOON REALLY EXIST?

JUSTIN SEARCHES FOR SIGNS
OF A MOON IN THE DATA.

THIS FIGURE SHOWS
THE TRANSIT SIGNAL,

AND WHAT WE SEE IS THAT
THERE'S A LARGE DIP THAT OCCURS

WHEN THE PLANET
PASSES IN FRONT OF THE STAR.

Narrator:
FOR NOW, THE DATA LACKS THE
TELL-TALE SIGNATURE OF A MOON.

BUT THE SEARCH IS NOT OVER.

♪

NASA HAS LAUNCHED A NEW SPACE
TELESCOPE CALLED "TESS."

JUSTIN PLANS TO USE THIS
IN COMBINATION

WITH THE LARGE
BINOCULAR TELESCOPE

TO ACCELERATE THE HUNT
FOR AN EARTHLIKE EXOMOON.

Crepp: NASA'S TESS MISSION
IS VERY IMPORTANT

IN REGARDS TO EXOMOONS.

TESS IS GOING TO PROVIDE
THESE TARGETS FOR US,

AND WE'RE GOING TO USE
FACILITIES ON THE GROUND,

LIKE THE LARGE
BINOCULAR TELESCOPE,

TO CHARACTERIZE THE STAR
SO THAT WE UNDERSTAND THE PLANET

SO THAT WE ULTIMATELY
UNDERSTAND THE EXOMOON.

WE ARE REALLY CLOSE TO BEING
ABLE TO DETECT EXOMOONS.

IT COULD HAPPEN TONIGHT.

IF WE DETECT AN EXOMOON
AROUND A GAS GIANT PLANET, SAY,

AND THAT GAS GIANT IS RECEIVING
THE SAME AMOUNT OF LIGHT

AND HEAT FROM ITS STAR
AS WE DO,

LITERALLY THE FIRST EXOMOON
WE FIND COULD BE EARTHLIKE.

AND THAT, TO ME,
IS EXTREMELY EXCITING.

Narrator:
ASTRONOMERS ARE ON THE THRESHOLD

OF DISCOVERING THE
FIRST EXOMOONS IN OUR GALAXY...

...MINI WORLDS
THAT MAY EVEN HARBOR LIFE.

SO FAR, THEY'VE TARGETED
EARTHLIKE MOONS

AROUND GAS GIANTS
THAT ORBIT CLOSE TO THEIR STAR.

BUT SOME BELIEVE THAT MOONS
OUTSIDE THE HABITABLE ZONE

MAY HARBOR LIFE, TOO,
NOT ON THE SURFACE

BUT DEEP BELOW
THEIR FROZEN CRUSTS.

A CLUE COMES FROM A MOON
IN OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM,

745 MILLION MILES OUTSIDE
OUR SUN'S HABITABLE ZONE,

WHERE THERE IS BARELY
ANY WARMTH FROM SUNLIGHT.

SATURN'S MOON, ENCELADUS,
HAS A SURFACE TEMPERATURE

OF ALMOST 330 DEGREES
BELOW FREEZING.

WHEN THE CASSINI
ROBOT SPACECRAFT

PASSES OVER ITS SOUTH POLE,

IT DISCOVERS SOMETHING
SEEMINGLY IMPOSSIBLE...

...JETS OF WATER SHOOTING
OUT THROUGH CRACKS

IN THE MOON'S ICY CRUST
AT MORE THAN 800 MILES PER HOUR.

THE IMAGES REVEAL
SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY

ABOUT THE INTERIOR
OF THIS MOON.

AS ENCELADUS ORBITS
AROUND SATURN,

THE EVER-CHANGING PULL
FROM THE MASSIVE PLANET

WARPS AND CRACKS
ITS ICY SURFACE.

HUGE CREVASSES OPEN UP,

EXPOSING A WARM, LIQUID OCEAN
BENEATH THE ICY CRUST.

SATURN'S GRAVITY FLEXES AND
HEATS UP THE MOON'S ROCKY CORE,

GIVING RISE TO POWERFUL
HYDROTHERMAL VENTS.

THESE VENTS EJECT
BOILING MINERAL-RICH WATER

INTO THE OCEAN,

CREATING ONE OF THE SOLAR
SYSTEM'S GREATEST MIRACLES --

LIQUID WATER WARM ENOUGH
TO SUPPORT LIFE.

Plait:
WHEN YOU LOOK AT ENCELADUS,
IT HAS ALL THE INGREDIENTS

FOR LIFE AS WE KNOW IT --

IT'S GOT A LIQUID-WATER OCEAN
INSIDE OF IT,

IT'S GOT AN ENERGY SOURCE,
WHICH YOU NEED FOR LIFE,

AND THAT COMES FROM SATURN
STRETCHING

AND COMPRESSING
THE MOON ITSELF.

IT'S NOT THAT SILLY TO THINK
THAT THERE COULD BE

THESE SIMILAR CONDITIONS
AROUND OTHER STARS.

Narrator:
AND ENCELADUS IS NOT ALONE.

JUPITER'S ICE MOON, EUROPA,

MAY HAVE THE LARGEST OCEAN
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

THE SAME GRAVITATIONAL
HEATING EFFECT

KEEPS THIS OCEAN
PERMANENTLY WARM,

AND ITS THICK ICE CRUST

COULD SHIELD
AGAINST THE DEADLY RADIATION

FROM JUPITER'S POWERFUL
MAGNETIC FIELD.

PEOPLE TALK ABOUT
A HABITABLE ZONE,

A PLACE WHERE A PLANET
HAS TO BE

TO BE WARM ENOUGH
FOR LIQUID WATER,

BUT IN FACT THE REAL ACTION,
WHERE WATER IS CONCERNED,

IS IN THE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM.

SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT
THE RIGHT CONDITIONS FOR LIFE,

YOU WANT TO LOOK FARTHER AWAY
FROM THE STAR

THAN MIGHT FIRST HAVE ASSUMED.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS THINK
THAT ACROSS THE GALAXY

THERE COULD BE BILLIONS
OF ICY EXOMOONS

JUST LIKE ENCELADUS
THAT HARBOR HIDDEN OCEANS.

THE BIG QUESTION -- COULD LIFE
EXIST INSIDE AN ICY EXOMOON?

Narrator: SCIENTISTS SEARCHING
FOR ALIEN LIFE

ARE TURNING THEIR ATTENTION
TO ICE MOONS WITH HIDDEN OCEANS.

COULD SOME OF THESE MOONS
HARBOR LIFE

BENEATH THEIR FROZEN CRUSTS?

CHEMIST CHRISTIAN PAULIK
WANTS TO FIND OUT.

HE STUDIES TINY, MICROSCOPIC
LIFE-FORMS CALLED "ARCHAEA."

ARCHAEA FEED OFF
THE NUTRIENT-RICH WATERS

AROUND HYDROTHERMAL VENTS

AT THE BOTTOM
OF EARTH'S DEEPEST OCEANS.

CHRISTIAN WANTS TO TEST
IF THESE MICROORGANISMS

COULD SURVIVE
THE EXTREME ENVIRONMENT

AT THE BOTTOM
OF AN ICE MOON'S OCEAN.

OKAY, HERE WE HAVE
OUR LITTLE MICROORGANISMS.

AND WE HOPE WE CAN SHOW

THAT MICROORGANISMS
LIKE THIS ONE HERE

CAN ALSO SURVIVE
ON CONDITIONS LIKE ON ENCELADUS.

Narrator:
SCIENTISTS THINK THE PRESSURE

AT THE BOTTOM
OF ENCELADUS' OCEAN

IS EQUIVALENT TO 100 TIMES THE
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE ON EARTH.

THE WATER IS UP TO
190 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,

AND IT'S LACED
WITH TOXIC CHEMICALS.

IF YOU CAN SHOW THAT
THE MICROORGANISMS WE FIND HERE

ON EARTH
CAN LIVE UNDER THAT CONDITION,

THERE MIGHT BE
THE POSSIBILITY

THAT WE ALSO FIND THIS KIND
OF ORGANISMS ON AN ICY MOON.

Narrator:
CHRISTIAN'S COLLEAGUE, PATRICIA,

TRANSFERS THE MICROORGANISMS
INTO A PIECE OF PIPING

AND CONNECTS IT
TO A PRESSURE CHAMBER.

Paulik: NOW WE CONNECT IT
TO THE REACTOR.

Narrator:
SHE INCREASES THE PRESSURE.

CAN THE MICROORGANISMS SURVIVE?

PATRICIA LOOKS FOR EVIDENCE
OF ACCUMULATION OF METHANE GAS,

A SURE SIGN THAT THE MICROBES
ARE FUNCTIONING NORMALLY.

WHAT WE CLEARLY SEE HERE
IS THAT OUR MICROORGANISMS GROW

AND THAT
THEY PRODUCED METHANE.

THAT'S QUITE FINE.
[ CHUCKLES ]

THE RESULTS ARE POSITIVE.

THE MICROORGANISMS
ARE PRODUCING METHANE.

THEY ARE ALIVE AND WELL.

THE EXPERIMENT PROVES
THAT ENCELADUS

AND ICY EXOMOONS LIKE IT
ARE HABITABLE

AND POTENTIALLY NOT JUST
FOR SIMPLE LIFE.

AROUND EARTH'S
HYDROTHERMAL VENTS,

LARGER CREATURES
SUCH AS TUBEWORMS, SHRIMP,

AND CRABS
CAN FEED OFF MICROORGANISMS.

THIS ALLOWS A COMPLEX ECOSYSTEM
TO THRIVE

WITH NO EXPOSURE TO SUNLIGHT.

IT'S POSSIBLE THAT SIMILAR
CREATURES COULD LIVE

ON THE SEA FLOOR
OF ICY EXOMOONS, AS WELL.

ALIEN MICROORGANISMS
COULD BE THE BOTTOM

OF A COMPLEX FOOD CHAIN.

Oluseyi:
THE SAME PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY

THAT HAPPENS HERE
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

HAPPENS EVERYWHERE
IN THE UNIVERSE.

SO JUST LIKE WE HAVE
TIDAL HEATING ON ENCELADUS

THAT COULD SUPPORT LIFE
AT THE BOTTOM OF ITS OCEAN,

THE SAME THING COULD BE GOING ON
IN EXOMOONS

ALL AROUND THE GALAXY.

SO THE EXOMOONS COULD BE
BREEDING GROUNDS

FOR LIFE
THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS SEARCHING
FOR HABITABLE EXOMOONS

NOW HAVE TWO TARGETS --

EARTHLIKE MOONS
AROUND GAS GIANTS

AND ICE MOONS
WITH HIDDEN OCEANS.

THEY SUSPECT
THESE COMPANION WORLDS

COULD BE MORE LIKELY
TO HOST LIFE

THAN THE PLANETS THEY ORBIT,
BUT THEY NEED PROOF.

FOR THAT, MOST SCIENTISTS ARE
PINNING THEIR HOPES ON EUROPA,

AN ICE MOON CLOSER TO EARTH
AND MUCH LARGER.

♪

Howett:
ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING THINGS
ABOUT EUROPA

IS IT HAS POTENTIAL FOR LIFE,

BUT IT'S A LOT CLOSER
THAN ENCELADUS

AND SO IT MAKES IT
AN EASIER PLACE TO EXPLORE

FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE.

Narrator: EUROPA IS ROUGHLY
THE SIZE OF EARTH'S MOON,

BROWN STREAKS
CRISSCROSS ITS ICY SURFACE.

IT'S THOUGHT THESE MARKINGS
COULD BE SEA SALT

THAT SEEPS THROUGH CRACKS
IN THE ICE.

JUPITER'S FEROCIOUS
RADIATION BELT

THEN BAKES THIS SALT DARK BROWN.

NEW OBSERVATIONS BY
THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

SUGGEST THAT, LIKE SATURN'S
SMALLER MOON, ENCELADUS,

PLUMES OF WATER MAY ERUPT
FROM EUROPA'S SURFACE.

Thaller: EUROPA MAY HOLD SOME
OF THE BEST CHANCES

OF FINDING LIFE
OUTSIDE THE EARTH.

THERE IS A LIQUID-WATER OCEAN
UNDERNEATH A LAYER OF ICE

THAT PROBABLY CONTAINS
AS MUCH AS TWICE

OF ALL OF THE OCEANS'
WATER ON THE EARTH.

WE KNOW ALSO THAT THERE'S
INTERESTING CHEMISTRY THERE --

THERE'S SALT,
THERE'S ORGANIC MOLECULES.

THE QUESTIONS IS CAN WE ACTUALLY
GO THERE AND SAMPLE THIS WATER,

SEE IF ANYTHING
IS LIVING INSIDE IT?

Narrator:
TO FIND ALIEN LIFE ON EUROPA

MEANS DRILLING THOUGH
TENS OF MILES OF ICE...

...AND SEARCHING AN OCEAN THAT
COULD BE ALMOST 100 MILES DEEP.

BUT ONE SCIENTIST
HAS ANOTHER PLAN.

WILL HIS ROBOT BE THE FIRST TO
FIND ALIEN LIFE ON AN ICE MOON?

♪

Narrator:
IN THE REMOTE ALASKAN ARCTIC,

NASA ENGINEER ANDY KLESH
IS READY TO TEST A ROBOT

THAT HE HOPES
COULD ONE DAY EXPLORE THE OCEAN

BENEATH THE ICY SURFACE
OF EUROPA.

WE TRAVELED TO BARROW, ALASKA,

THE MOST NORTHERN POINT
OF THE UNITES STATES.

AND THERE WE HAVE ACCESS
TO PERMAFROST LAKES

WITH METHANE SEEPS THAT ARE
BUBBLING UP FROM THE BOTTOM

AND ALSO THE ARCTIC OCEAN.

Narrator:
HERE THE ICE-COVERED LAKES
MIMIC FEATURES

OF EUROPA'S FRACTURED SURFACE.

ON EARTH, ALGAE AND MICROBES
LIKE TO ANCHOR THEMSELVES

BENEATH THE ICE.

ANDY THINKS THAT ALIEN MICROBES
ON EUROPA MAY DO THE SAME THING.

SO HE DESIGNS HIS ROBOT
TO DRIVE UPSIDE DOWN

UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE ICE.

Klesh:
RATHER THAN EXPLORE THE VAST
REACHES OF OCEAN WATER,

WE FOUND THAT IF WE BUILT
A ROVER

THAT COULD ACTUALLY SURVIVE
AND THRIVE

ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE ICE,

IT MIGHT BE ABLE
TO BETTER FIND SIGNS OF LIFE

WITHOUT HAVING TO SEND DOWN
TO THE FAR DEPTHS

AND THE HIGH PRESSURES
THAT WE HAVE AT BOTTOM.

Narrator:
ANDY'S TEAM IS WORKING ON
A DEVICE TO ENABLE THE ROBOT

TO EXTRACT SAMPLES
OF ICE AND WATER.

THE ROBOT COULD ANALYZE THESE

AND POTENTIALLY BRING THEM
BACK TO EARTH.

Klesh: WE CAN MAINTAIN
A VERY-LOW-POWER MODE,

BECAUSE OUR WHEELS ARE
BASICALLY CIRCULAR SAW BLADES --

THEY DIG INTO THE ICE,

AND THEY ALLOW US TO STAY
IN ONE PLACE UNDER THERE.

THIS ALLOWS US TO SIT, STARE,

AND OBSERVE
FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME,

COLLECTING AS MUCH INFORMATION
AS WE CAN.

Narrator: THE TEAM ALSO TESTS
THIS NEW PROTOTYPE

THAT'S DESIGNED TO FOLD UP
AND FIT THROUGH A BOREHOLE.

IT'S EARLY DAYS FOR A MISSION
TO EXPLORE EUROPA'S OCEAN,

THE CHALLENGES ARE IMMENSE

AND WILL TEST OUR TECHNOLOGY
AND INGENUITY TO THE LIMIT.

BUT IT WILL BE WORTH IT,
BECAUSE IF SCIENTISTS CAN FIND

EVEN SIMPLE ALIEN LIFE-FORMS
ON A MOON,

IT WILL MEAN THAT OUR GALAXY
COULD BE FILLED WITH LIFE.

♪

IF THERE WAS LIFE ON ANY OTHER
PLACE IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,

BE IT ENCELADUS,
BE IT EUROPA,

IT WOULD BE
A TOTAL GAME CHANGER.

Plait: IF WE EVEN FIND
A MICROBE ON EUROPA,

THAT MEANS LIFE CAN EXIST
IN CONDITIONS

THAT ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

THAN WHAT HAPPENED HERE ON EARTH
4 OR SO BILLION YEARS AGO.

IF THAT'S THE CASE,

THEN THAT MEANS
WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO FIND LIFE

EVERYWHERE WE LOOK
IN THE UNIVERSE.

Narrator:
IF LIFE CAN GET STARTED
ON ANOTHER WORLD

WITHIN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,

THEN WE'LL KNOW FOR SURE
IT CAN GET STARTED ANYWHERE

THE CONDITIONS ARE RIGHT
ON BILLIONS OF HABITABLE PLANETS

THROUGHOUT THE MILKY WAY
AND BILLIONS OF HABITABLE MOONS.

I THINK IF EUROPA WERE TO SHOW

THAT LIFE IS POSSIBLE
ON THESE ICY WORLDS,

THEN THE PUSH TO EXPLORE OTHER
ICY WORLDS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

AND OUTSIDE OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
WOULD BE HUGE.

Narrator:
DISCOVERING ALIEN LIFE ON A MOON
COULD BE THE CATALYST

THAT PUSHES US TO EXPLORE
BEYOND OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

Oluseyi: NOT ONLY ARE WE GOING
TO LOOK FOR LIFE

EVERYWHERE IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

WE'RE NOW GOING TO LOOK FOR LIFE

EVERYWHERE IN THE GALAXY
AND THE UNIVERSE.

THE EXOMOONS, THE EXOPLANETS,
WHO KNOWS?

IT CAN BE EVERYWHERE.

Narrator:
IN THE LAST DECADE,

WE'VE WITNESSED
A REVOLUTION IN ASTRONOMY

AS SCIENTISTS STARTED TO FIND
PLANET AFTER PLANET

AROUND DISTANT STARS.

THE COMING DECADES COULD WITNESS
A SIMILAR REVOLUTION,

AS HUNDREDS OF EXOMOONS
ARE DISCOVERED, TOO,

ADDING A WHOLE NEW DIMENSION
TO THE SEARCH FOR LIFE.

SOME EXOMOONS MAY EVEN BE HOME
TO ADVANCED ALIENS

WHO MIGHT PONDER WHETHER LIFE
COULD EVER FLOURISH ON A PLANET

AND NOT A MOON LIKE THEIRS.

Tremblay: IF YOU CAN IMAGINE US
MAKING CONTACT

WITH AN ADVANCED
LUNAR CIVILIZATION,

THEY MIGHT THINK
WE'RE THE WEIRD ONES,

BEING LIFE ON A PLANET
RATHER THAN ON A MOON.

Oluseyi: IF THERE WERE ALIEN
INTELLIGENT BEINGS OUT THERE

AND THEY WERE TO SEE EARTH,

THEY PROBABLY WOULD LOOK AT US
AND SAY,

"WHAT WEIRD KIND OF PLANET
IS THAT?"

Narrator:
WE MIGHT BE THE ODD ONES OUT.