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As a result of these close orbits, an exoplanet orbiting in the habitable zone of a red dwarf has a higher chance of becoming tidally locked, meaning that one face is always pointed toward the star in perpetual daylight while the other is turned away in eternal night. The researchers note that this configuration could prevent temperate climates or cause them to collapse. Tidal locking is just one of many variables that will need to be considered when assessing the habitability of HZ-NEMPs in the future. Fortunately, sophisticated observatories such as the James Webb Space Telescope, which became operational this summer, and the forthcoming Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey (ARIEL) mission, due for launch in 2029, have the power to resolve incredible details about exoplanets, including signs of aliens life.“The only habitable planet we currently know is the Earth,” Kimura and Ikoma said. “We have no complete idea how even the Earth has maintained habitable environments. Therefore, we need more studies about how climate depends on planetary properties such as seawater amount, gravity and rotation, and host-stellar properties such as temperature and activity.”“From observational points of view, accurate measurement of the mass and radius of exoplanets will help us identify the existence of oceans and estimate their depths,” the researchers concluded. “In addition, observations of exoplanet atmospheres conducted by JWST and ARIEL will give crucial hints to understanding planetary surface environments.”Sign up for Motherboard’s daily newsletter for a regular dose of our original reporting, plus behind-the-scenes content about our biggest stories.