Light from Faraway Planet Directly Detected

Hi ALL

As it says above scientists have managed it at last but I wouldn't hold my breath for evidence of ET's from the planets light spectrum.

www.space.com...

Quote from the site.

The team of astronomers that observed the giant planet were able to do so without looking for an eclipse, instead detecting the planet's light directly with a ground-based telescope: the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile.

"After more than five hours of exposure time, we were able to tease out the planet's spectrum from the host star's much brighter light," said team member Carolina Bergfors.

Picking out the planet's light is tricky because the host star is several thousand times brighter than the planet.

"It's like trying to see what a candle is made of, by observing it from a distance of two kilometers [1.2 miles] when it's next to a blindingly bright 300 Watt lamp," said team member Markus Janson of the University of Toronto.

[edit on 15-1-2010 by wmd_2008]

reply to post by wmd_2008


Its a step in the right direction, as was expected with all the recent exoplanet discoveries..

Long way to go though, the planet is 10x bigger than Jupiter, nearly a star in itself. A rocky planet such as our own, or a moon of one of those big gas giants is a better bet for life..and if looking for a Massive gas giants light signature is like looking at a candle 2 km away beside a 300 watt lamp, then this is more like a satellite in space looking at a candle beside a street lamp.

[edit on 15-1-2010 by RingsWithinRings]

reply to post by wmd_2008


I mean there can't be any life out there because there is no proof.

Why people waste time thinking such a thing is beyond me

We both know in this infinite universe there is ONLY Earth and us! Great to know we own the universe! Sill believers really have no proof at all eh?!