Extrasolar planets

[kmoukiss]

Hi everyone !

I am doing a report of some papers on extrasolar planets and I would like to clarify some points!
1) What is the difference between oberving in the IR at 4microns or 24microns ? what do you get in difference in observation ?

2)how can a measure of flux decrement can affect our understanding of the atmosphere of the planet ?

and finally 3) if water and CO are being revealed, how does this affect the survival prospects of extrasolar planets ?

I hope you will be able to help me!
Thanks to all !

[ideasrule]

1) I'm not too sure about this.
2) Well, if you measure the flux decrement in infrared when the planet passes behind its star, it's possible to deduce how much infrared is coming from the planet itself. From this, you can calculate the planet's temperature and determine what can or cannot exist in the atmosphere.
3) I think this is fairly obvious. CO is toxic; water is vital for just about all life on Earth.