Scientists have uncovered an exciting finding on planet HD 209458b located a mere 150 light years from our planet Earth. This planet resides in the Pegasus Constellation (and no, it’s not the one where Atlantis is located).
As most scientists are aware, generally where there is water, there is life — so you can imagine the excitement in the world of astrobiology and astronomy.
This is the first time that any real evidence for water on any planet outside our own solar system has been detected and the fact that we now know it contains H2O increases the probablity of life beyond our limited field of influence.
The water has been located as a vapor within the atmosphere of HD 209458b, which is a large gas giant similar to our solar system’s planet Jupiter.
“I’m very confident,” said astronomer Travis Barman of the Lowell Observatory. “It’s definitely good news because water has been predicted to be present in the atmosphere of this planet and many of the other ones for some time.”
According to Barman a planet like HD 209458b is more likely not to have sentient life, as compared to a more rocky Earth-like planet but admits that finding water vapor in the gas giant’s atmosphere will most likely not answer definitive questions about the existence of extraterrestrial life.
“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. The presence of water does not exclude the possibility of life, but it doesn’t mean it’s there, either,” Barman added. “[These current] findings do provide good reasons to believe other planets beyond our solar system also have water vapor in their atmospheres.
Science writer Will Dunham is quick to remind us that while water is plentiful here on Earth, it has also been in other locations within our own solar system, such as the north and south Martian polarcaps and on several moons surrounding various planets.
“Planet HD 209458b also was the first planet outside the solar system found with an atmosphere and the first detected transiting planet,” stated Dunham. “There are more than 200 known planets outside our solar system.”
A planet only 150 light years away would still be well within our own galaxy (The Milky Way is at least 80,000 LY in diameter, and 1000 LY thick). I looked up HD 209458B, and it is orbiting a star which can be seen in the CONSTELLATION Pegasus.
Nevertheless, this is quite exciting news!
Thanks for sorting that out, Paul. I had the same thought when I say it was only 150ly away.
Thanks Paul (as you can guess I was thinking about scifi and Atlantis) when I wrote this and constellation became galaxy. //embarrased look// 🙂
This is amazing news!
Now if we can only find a planet with O2 in it’s atmosphere…
Even better, how about a planet with gorgeous Amazon women that need men? Now THAT’s something I’d like to find.
O2 does not need to be present in a planets atmosphere for life to exist. Free-living oxygen was not on earth until unicellular organisms developed photosynthis, which converted the carbon dioxide into oxygen. Just thought Kurt would like to know.