Source: Times Online
Astronomers have developed a technique to probe the atmospheres of distant planets which could help to identify signs of extraterrestrial life.
Using a small telescope in Hawaii, the international team were able to detect the presence of methane in the atmosphere of a hot planet the size of Jupiter which is 63 light years away.
Dr Giovanna Tinetti, an astrophysicist at University College London, said: “The final goal is to observe the atmosphere of a planet with the capability to support life. We are not there yet, but the possibility to use ground-based telescopes in combination with space-based observatories will speed up the work of studying exoplanet atmospheres.”
On Earth, excluding anthropogenic emissions, the dominant source of methane is from anaerobic bacteria, which inhabit wetlands and oceanic sediments. The planet being studied, named HD 189733b, is too hot to be considered a candidate for life and the methane is likely to arise from radiation fields in the atmosphere. A goal will be to find ways to distinguish between the two sources of methane.
The first exta-solar planet was observed 15 years ago and since then about 400 others have been detected.
