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Water found on distant planet
from PhysicsWeb News at 17:01 PM GMT
An international team of astronomers has obtained the first convincing evidence of water in the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system. They came to this conclusion using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope to measure the light absorbed by the Jupiter-like planet HD 189733b as it passed in front of its companion star. However, the planet, which lies some 63 light years from Earth, is unlikely to harbour life as its surface temperature can reach 1200K. (Nature 448 169).
July 11, 2007 17:01 PM GMT
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I guess part of the point is that absorption spectroscopy can now detect water in the atmosphere of exoplanets.
It is no surprise that water exists on some exoplanets, but it is nice that instruments can detect it.
Now if they would find water in the atmosphere of a planet in habitable zone that would be nice.
from PhysicsWeb News at 17:01 PM GMT
An international team of astronomers has obtained the first convincing evidence of water in the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system. They came to this conclusion using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope to measure the light absorbed by the Jupiter-like planet HD 189733b as it passed in front of its companion star. However, the planet, which lies some 63 light years from Earth, is unlikely to harbour life as its surface temperature can reach 1200K. (Nature 448 169).
July 11, 2007 17:01 PM GMT
====================
I guess part of the point is that absorption spectroscopy can now detect water in the atmosphere of exoplanets.
It is no surprise that water exists on some exoplanets, but it is nice that instruments can detect it.
Now if they would find water in the atmosphere of a planet in habitable zone that would be nice.
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