It’s one of the most fascinating questions when it comes to our exploration of space: is there other life out there?

With countless space scientists uniting in explaining to us that – given the vast and unknowable expanse of space, and the tiny little portion of it we occupy – it is highly unlikely that we are the only intelligent life in existence, the race is on to discover exactly where these other life forms reside.

And toward the end of the decade, it is hoped that if the answer is ‘on Proxima Centauri b,’ we will have found it.

That’s because Proxima Centauri b – located four light years away from Earth – will be easily observable once the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), currently under construction in Cerro Amazones, Chile, will have the capacity to detect any potential life from many light years away.

Once it’s finished that is.

In 2029, when the ELT is finally operational, it will have been being constructed for twelve years. However, scientists and space aficionados believe that the wait will be worth it.

The Extremely Large Telescope will have 37 times as much light as the James Webb Space Telescoppe, thanks to its massive 39 meters of diameter.

In fact, preview models from Cornell University’s Miles H. Currie, Victoria S. Meadows – soon to be published in The Planetary Science Journal – suggest that just 10 hours of observation will be enough to model Proxima Centauri b’s atmosphere.

and, thus, understand the likelihood of the planet supporting life – the ELT could, even in its fledgeling moments, provide the information that astrobiologists have been waiting decades for.

That’s because we don’t know anything about Proxima Centauri b’s atmosphere – or if, indeed, it has one at all.

However, understanding whether this suspected-rocky planet has the capacity to support life or not will provide our scientific minds with clear evidence as to whether their investigations should continue, or whether they should turn their attention elsewhere.

And even if there isn’t life on Proxima Centauri b, the Extremely Large Telescope could be key to truly understanding what else, if anything, is out there.

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