James Webb is the largest and most powerful space observatory now looking at the TRAPPIST-1 system, a cold red dwarf 41 light-years away from Earth. This star has seven rocky Earth-sized exoplanets, three of which are located in a habitable zone where conditions for liquid water and potential life could exist. The telescope has already achieved a significant success: it has measured the temperature of one of these exoplanets for the first time, marking a historic breakthrough in the study of earth-like planets outside the Solar System

The next phase of the telescope’s observations will involve analyzing the atmospheres of exoplanets. During a planet’s transit in front of a star, its atmosphere filters starlight, creating spectral features that may indicate the presence of molecules associated with life. This requires a detailed analysis of data from several transits to separate the signals of the planets from the star’s emission.

If the right molecules are found, it could indicate the existence of extraterrestrial life forms. Although, it is more likely that we will confirm the presence of water, a discovery that would be significant in itself.

The search for extraterrestrial life is a long and complicated process, but James Webb and future missions like Europa Clipper are opening new horizons for humanity. Each new discovery brings us closer to answering the question that has preoccupied mankind since ancient times: are we alone in the Universe?

Source - https://universemagazine.com/en/on-the-verge-of-a-breakthrough-humanity-may-discover-extraterrestrial-life-for-the-first-time-in-2025/#:~:text=In%202025%2C%20James%20Webb%20may,at%20Cornell%20University%2C%20writes%20that.