Two teams of scientists have detected, through data collected by the Hubble telescope, the presence of water in the atmosphere of five planets belonging to other star systems. It is not the first time that evidence of water vapor has been found in the gas layer that surrounds exoplanets , but it is the first time that the amount of this molecule, essential for the appearance of life, has been accurately documented and measured. as we know it.
Due to the great distance that separates us from the planets outside the Solar System, astronomers estimate the composition of their atmospheres based on the amount of light they absorb . The observations were made through the Hubble telescope's Wide Field Camera 3, which operates in the infrared wavelength spectrum, in which the aqueous composition becomes visible.
Scientists detected water in the atmosphere on five different exoplanets (WASP-17b, HD209458b, WASP-12b, WASP-19b and XO-1b), although the signals were less pronounced than expected due to the layers of fog and dust present. in all of them. The five planets are similar to Jupiter in size and properties, but have a higher temperature.
The authors of the research affirm that the signal is unequivocal and that it reveals the great potential of space telescopes in the study of exoplanets, remote celestial bodies in which every day it is more likely to find microscopic life.
