Hilo – water is a prerequisite for life as we know it. The more exciting are the observations of Japanese astronomers: On a distant planet they have spotted information on a water-rich atmosphere. The analyzed super-Earth Gliese 1214b with the catalog number is about 40 light years from Earth and orbits a sun in the constellation Ophiuchus (Ophiuchus). Thus, the extrasolar planet (exoplanet) is one of our cosmic neighborhood. Notes on life in a form that we know the scientists have not found.
Gliese 1214b travels from Earth seen regularly to its host star over. The astronomers to Norio Narita National Astronomical Observatory of Japan used this to shine through the atmosphere of the super-Earth. They investigated whether short-wavelength light is scattered more of the planet’s atmosphere as long wave. This so-called Rayleigh scattering ensures, for example on the ground that the cloudless daytime sky appears blue because of the short wavelength blue portion of sunlight is much more dispersed than the red.
Clear indication on waterthe super-Earth in the constellation Ophiuchus, the astronomers found no evidence of Rayleigh scattering in the atmosphere, as they report in the journal “The Astrophysical Journal”. Together with previous observations, the astronomers see this finding a clear indication of a water-rich atmosphere or at least clouds. Water vapor absorbs the visible light relatively uniformly at all wavelengths. The scientists hope to be able to support their conclusion with other observations in the near future.
super-Earths Astronomers call such exoplanets that are larger than Earth but smaller than the smallest gas giant planets in our solar system, so Uranus and Neptune. Whether super-Earths have a solid surface like the rocky planets in our solar system or rather resemble the gas giants, is not yet understood.
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