Home
Delicious
Digg
Facebook
Reddit
Stumble Upon
Technorati
Mixx
Sphinn
Twitter
SphereIt
Propeller
Gmarks
Newsvine
Yahoo! My Web
Live Journal
Blinklist
E-mail
Astronomers have taken a giant step in discovering alien life. They have captured light from two planets that are far from the solar system, these planets include planet HD 189733b which is about 62 light years away from us in Constellation Vulpecula and the other is planet HD 209458b, which is about 153 light years away from us in Constellation Pegasus.
Research on both of these planets was done by two different teams of astronomers that have used NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope for this new type of extra solar planet research.
With the data, astronomers have been able to reveal details of chemicals that are present in these planets.
By analyzing the faint glow of light from these planets astronomers have found concrete evidence that suggests the presence of chemicals on these distant planets. These chemicals are important as they play a significant role in a theory that explains the evolution of life on Earth.
These chemicals are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that may have helped in the formation of RNA, which is a building block of life on Earth.
Astronomers were also hoping to find water in the form of vapor on the planet since the planet is expected to have hydrogen and oxygen in its atmosphere. But to their surprise they haven’t been able to find any water in any form on the planet. But still some astronomers believe that water vapor may be hidden under thick dust clouds that encircle the planet.
Still we are not sure to find any kind of life as we know it on these planets as they are orbiting very close to their parent stars and are literally burning at temperatures of about 800 C.
The study of one planet found hints of fine silicate clouds, but the research on the other planets found no chemical fingerprints for any of the molecules scientists were seeking.
Astronomers have also stated that these are very different planets and they never expected to see results like this. They expected a tremendous signature of water but have not seen any trace of it yet.
Where is the water?
Scientists now suggest that water may be hiding under dust clouds or all airborne water vapor molecules will be having the same temperature, which makes it impossible to detect them using infrared spectrography.
Future observations that can be carried out with more advanced space telescopes like James Webb space telescope should give an answer for the strange behavior of these planets.
Both NASA and ESA are planning space telescopes that will hunt specifically for Earth-like worlds. May be we are close to find our alien mates some where in the darkness of the Universe.
RSS 
De second saddening thing is non-availability of water residues n planet even after the presence of H2 n O2, reason for dat may be unfavorable temperature conditions at planet
But if we talk abt Mars, the astronomers found ice lakes on the surface of Mars which is a pro Mars containing……
Any way, these r results driven on da basis of images captured from Space Telescope……… im waitin for NASA’s first successful fly-by mission to dese planets……!
Men of great learning have always said that earth is neither the beginning nor the end of life. At the back of our minds also there is a strong gut feeling that beyond birth and death on planet earth, there is life elsewhere.
Modern astronomy is opening up new worlds for us. Science adopting empirical methods demands proof for each new discovery made. Analysis of distant light data emitted from newly discovered planets from other solar systems is pointing to the existence of building blocks of life elsewhere.
How this web of life, spread out in the universe is connected and how does it impact our lives on planet earth is still to be postulated by scientists. One even wonders whether material sciences will ever be able to reveal the origins of life here or concretely prove about existing life elsewhere.
Nonetheless, it is no mean achievement to be able to present data assimilated from advanced telescopes, some of which operate from space itself, that there are very real possibilities of discovering life elsewhere without every getting to reach the other planetary system.
Well, in case of these two planets, with the so-called name “Hot Jupiters, it would be too early to make any comment since astronomers are just sniffing the possibility of the presence of water. For now, the astronomers need to get back to the drawing board and do some further research to come up with a cleaner spectrum on the two.
But one thing is for sure that the hunt for alien life has caught the pace with scientists looking for smaller earth-like rocky planets at a swift pace for the hints of life.
