Astronomers detect water on exoplanets
Posted: Thu, Sep 19 2002 9:21 AM ET (1321 GMT)
Astronomers announced this week that they have detected evidence of water
in the atmospheres of several extrasolar planets. Italian scientists used
a radio telescope to look for emissions of water "masers" created when infrared
light excites water molecules. They found evidence of water at Upsilon Andromedae,
a star where three exoplanets have been discovered, as well as at Epsilon
Eridani and Lalande 21185. Although water is one of the key requirements
for life to form, scientists don’t believe any of these massive gas giants,
some of which orbit close to their parent stars, could harbor any sort of
life. The presence of water, though, suggests that water could exist on other,
as yet undetected, worlds around these stars. The discovery may also allow
scientists to track atmospheric circulation in these planets. |