Planet outside solar system shows signs of water: Study

Evidence of water has been detected for the first time in a planet outside our solar system, an astronomer has said, a tantalising find for scientists eager to know whether life exists beyond Earth.

Evidence of water has been detected for the first time in a planet outside our solar system, an astronomer has said, a tantalising find for scientists eager to know whether life exists beyond Earth.

Travis Barman, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, said water vapour has been found in the atmosphere of a large, Jupiter-like gaseous planet located 150 light years from Earth in the constellation Pegasus. The planet is known as HD 209458b. Other scientists reported in February that they were unable to find evidence of water in this planet’s atmosphere, as well as another Jupiter-like planet. “I’m very confident,” said Barman. “It’s definitely good news because water has been predicted to be present in the atmosphere of this planet and many others for some time.”

Lowell Observatory, a privately owned astronomical research institution, announced the finding, which has been accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. The research was backed by NASA, it said.

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The detection of the presence of water vapour was possible because this planet, from the vantage point of Earth, orbits directly in front of its star every 3-1/2 days, allowing crucial measurements to be made. It is what is known as a transiting planet.

Barman noted that a Jupiter-like gaseous planet such as this one, as opposed to a rocky one like Earth, is highly unlikely to harbour life, and said the finding about water vapour in its atmosphere does not answer questions about the existence of extra-terrestrial life. The findings, he said, are not adequate to really address a question as deep and profound as the existence of life elsewhere. “We’re not there yet.”

“Certainly this is part of that puzzle — understanding the distribution of water in other solar systems is important for understanding whether or not conditions for life are possible,” Barman added.