Luner Eclipse:Helps Search For Extraterrestial Life

If the teams' baby steps are any indication, the techniques they are developing may be able to detect evidence of organic life imprinted in an extrasolar planet's atmosphere – at least for rocky, Earth-mass planets orbiting stars relatively close to the sun – using large Earthbound telescopes

Over the past two years, two teams of astronomers have been using this effect to figure out what Earth might look like as a distant, extrasolar planet orbiting another star. By analyzing the light reflected off the moon during a lunar eclipse – light that has passed through Earth's atmosphere – they have detected gases in the atmosphere that indicate the presence of organic life on the planet.

"It's an exciting experiment – one of the few I've seen that I wish I'd thought of myself," says Sara Seager, a physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who studies exoplanets and their atmospheres and who was not involved in either project.

Kepler in particular is searching more than 150,000 stars for Earth-mass planets in their stars' so-called habitable zones. These are regions of space close enough to a star that liquid water would be stable on the surface of a planet orbiting at that distance

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I found this article and thought it was very interesting, can't wait to see where it goes!

I think its easier to live in space and travel planet to planet stealing resources . Then to live on one planet like chumps (earth) . Most of our brightest minds are either looking for life in other planets or building weapons of mass destruction for our governments . We have 100,000 other problems that could sure use there attention before the wild goose hunt . But who cares right bottoem line is profit not productivity of earth . Aids cancer stll run rampid , i wonder if reserach money is actually being used for that or they just take the money and spend it on there own reserach and own little projects to get there own nobel . Why do we wanna find life on another planet so bad so we can taint them like we tainted earth? lol . Any life out there should be warned that the cancer (humans on earth ) are coming to taint them and spread out virus through out the solar system. We have broken earth now its time to spread this caner to the rest of the beautiful solar system. If it was my choice i would never ever let you humans leave earth to go to another planet . Your too destructive and your priorities are those of greed.

reply to post by seedofchucky


Yeah u do make a valid point but its still interesting..These are scientists\astronomers and there job is to discover the universe not find cures for diseases etc. There are more important things and other people are working on it. If you had a passion in music,you would want to pursue it right? Same as a bmx biker or a archeologist. Astronomy happens to be a passion of mine and I cant wait to see whats in store for the future. Sorry I didnt explain it well,im on,my cell in the middle of dinner.

reply to post by seedofchucky


By the way I do agree,we are parasites who destroy everything we touch. I hate to admit that we should be allowed to set foot on another planet and it sucks. I just hope when someone does,they respect it and handld it with care. Maybe theres things on another planet that could cure diseases?