The world's most powerful telescope has joined the hunt for alien life.
The world's most powerful telescope is looking for aliens
The James Webb Space Telescope is focusing on rocky planets 240 trillion miles away from Earth in a bid to find extraterrestrials.
The telescope is analysing the Trappist-1 star system, which has seven planets that are not too hot or cold for liquid water - meaning that life could exist on their surfaces.
Webb's principal investigator Rene Doyon said: "We haven't really explored rocky planets.
"Now we have this rock star system, Trappist-1, and all four of Webb's science instruments will observe that, do the first reconnaissance and find out, 'Do these planets have an atmosphere?'
"Then it's, 'OK, what can you tell us about the composition' That's our prime opportunity to study some potentially habitable planets."
The telescope produces data that informs scientists with a breakdown of what the planets beyond the solar system are made of.
This provides greater insight into whether the planets could sustain life either now or in the past.