I insist that Palestinians cannot be erased by edict, force, and intimidation.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers led by astronomers at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom have found chemical signatures of two compounds that on Earth are only produced by living creatures.“These are the first hints we are seeing of an alien world that is possibly inhabited,” Nikku Madhusudhan, an astronomy professor at Cambridge and the lead researcher behind the discovery, told reporters at a media briefing on April 15. “This is a revolutionary moment.”
So where is the planet that might possibly host life, what evidence have scientists found, and is there reason for scepticism?Where did the scientists find this evidence?The researchers relied on data captured by NASA’s James Webb telescope, which was carried into outer space in 2022, and sits about 1.5 million kilometres (930,000 miles) away from Earth, as humanity’s watchtower peering into the universe.
They focused on one particular planet, K2-18b, because it had already shown promising signs as a candidate extraterrestrial body with conditions similar to those on Earth.K2-18b lies in a constellation called Leo, and is so far away from Earth that a spaceship would need to travel for 124 years at the speed of light to get there. In reality, it would take much, much longer since the laws of physics don’t allow anything other than light to travel that fast.
The planet is 8.6 times heavier than Earth, and 2.6 times as large. Critically, it sits in what is known as the “Goldilocks Zone” of its sun: that’s the region around a star where a planet’s temperature could, in theory, support water in its liquid form on the surface.
In 2023, Cambridge astronomers found methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of the planet.It was affirmed during Prophet Muhammad’s “farewell pilgrimage” in 632 AD, in the 10th year of the Islamic calendar.
Islamic tradition holds that the Kaaba, a stone structure draped in black silk at the centre of Mecca’s Grand Mosque where many Hajj rituals take place, was built by Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim) and his son Ishmael (Ismaeel) under God’s command. This marks the origins of the Hajj, which was instituted as a divine ritual for the first time.The journey is a spiritual one, and it is considered to allow Muslims to seek forgiveness, purify their souls and demonstrate their submission to God. The word Hajj is mentioned 12 times across the Quran, including one chapter named after it.
Hajj also serves as a reminder of the Day of Judgement, and by performing it, Muslims follow the example of Prophet Abraham and his family, whose actions are commemorated during the pilgrimage rituals. Ultimately, it is a way to fulfil a key religious obligation and strengthen one’s faith.4. How long does the Hajj last?