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If aliens exist, scientists believe that they could be identified by the glowing light of ultraviolet radiation.
A research team from the Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science has determined that the possible habitable exoplanets that alien life forms could live on orbit red dwarfs, which are the smallest stars in the galaxy. These red dwarfs are now the prime suspect for extraterrestrial life.
However, it would be difficult for extraterrestrial life to exist around the red dwarfs because they flare up and give off bursts of UV radiation that would harm life on any of the planets around it. It seems virtually impossible to find any planets located near this UV radiation that could house living beings.
Corals on our own planet save themselves from the sun’s UV rays by glowing. Their cells are able to use a protein or pigment that, once exposed to UV light, will absorb some of the energy from each of the photons, which will then shift to much safer wavelengths.
The challenging part for the researchers is determining if biofluorescence is actually on the planet. The planet would need to be covered by creatures that are fluorescing. But no telescopes with the power to detect these kinds of creatures exist today.
Plans are being drawn to create a telescope that could have this capability, or at least a simpler version of it. As long as the instruments can detect how much red, green, or infrared light is being emitted, they would be able to determine if other lifeforms exist. Of course, the glow would need to be extremely bright for this detection to even take place.
