Distant planet's "fingerprint" detected

[n2doc]

A spectrum of light off an exoplanet has been captured, offering vital clues to whether it could be harboring life.

Wed Jan 13, 2010 09:00 AM ET | content provided by AFP

The first direct capture of a spectrum of light from a planet outside the solar system has been obtained, in what is a landmark discovery in the search for extra-terrestrial life, astronomers announced on Wednesday.

The light was snared from a giant planet that orbits a bright young star called HR 8799 about 130 light years from Earth, the 14-nation European Southern Observatory (ESO) said in a press release.

HR 8799 has a mass about one and a half times that of the sun and hosts a planetary system "that resembles a scaled-up model of our own solar system," according to the press release.

The target was the middle of three planets -- initially spotted in 2008 -- that are between seven and 10 times the mass of Jupiter.

The finding is important, because a light spectrum is like a fingerprint, ESO said. Hidden within it are telltales of the chemical elements in the planet's atmosphere.

"The result represents a milestone in the search for life elsewhere in the Universe," ESO said.

more:

http://news.discovery.com/space/exoplanet-fingerprint-light-spectrum-detected.html

[byronius]

1. Can't wait for the first Earthy exoplanet. It's coming.