Organic molecules necessary for life have been detected in one more hot gas planet outside the solar system, within a year by the scientists of NASA.
Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California detected water, methane as well as carbon dioxide — the essential chemistry for life — in the planet named HD 209458b, NASA said.
The data/information from Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope — NASA's two orbiting observatories — was used to find out the planet bigger than Jupiter.
Mark Swain, one of the researchers at NASA says that "It is the second planet outside our solar system in which water, methane and carbon dioxide has been found, which are potentially essential for biological processes in habitable planets.”
The finding follows the December 2008 invention of carbon dioxide around another hot, Jupiter-size planet — HD 189733b — on which water vapor along with methane were previously detected.
"Detecting organic compounds in two exoplanets now raises the likelihood that it will turn out to be common place to find planets with molecules that may be tied to life," Mark Swain said.
The new findings have advanced the astronomers to the goal of being able to differentiate planets where life can exist from those where life cannot exist.
HD 209458b orbits a sun-like star around 150 light years away in the constellation Pegasus. The planet is not fit for human habitation but has the same chemistry that, if found around a rocky planet in future, may possibly indicate presence of life.
Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California detected water, methane as well as carbon dioxide — the essential chemistry for life — in the planet named HD 209458b, NASA said.
The data/information from Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope — NASA's two orbiting observatories — was used to find out the planet bigger than Jupiter.
Mark Swain, one of the researchers at NASA says that "It is the second planet outside our solar system in which water, methane and carbon dioxide has been found, which are potentially essential for biological processes in habitable planets.”
The finding follows the December 2008 invention of carbon dioxide around another hot, Jupiter-size planet — HD 189733b — on which water vapor along with methane were previously detected.
"Detecting organic compounds in two exoplanets now raises the likelihood that it will turn out to be common place to find planets with molecules that may be tied to life," Mark Swain said.
The new findings have advanced the astronomers to the goal of being able to differentiate planets where life can exist from those where life cannot exist.
HD 209458b orbits a sun-like star around 150 light years away in the constellation Pegasus. The planet is not fit for human habitation but has the same chemistry that, if found around a rocky planet in future, may possibly indicate presence of life.
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