Astronomers confirm water in atmosphere of planet 179 light years away

New Delhi : In an attempt to search alien life outside the earth, astronomers have detected water in the atmosphere of a planet 179 light years away.

Experts at the Keck Observatory in Maunakea, Hawaii investigated HR 8799c, a gas planet and made the discovery. The planet is seven times the size of Jupiter. It is one of four which orbit the star HR 8799, was found 179 light years away in the constellation Pegasus.

During the investigation, astronomers used state-of-the-art instrumentation to confirm the existence of water and a lack of methane in the planet's atmosphere. They combined high-resolution spectroscopy with a technique known as adaptive optics, which simplified the blurring effect of Earth’s atmosphere.

Astronomers used instruments called spectrometers to break apart the planet's light, once a photograph of the planet is taken.

The technique revealed a fingerprint of the chemicals in the atmosphere, a feat possible due to a spectrometer on the Keck 2 telescope called the Near-Infrared Cryogenic Echelle Spectrograph (NIRSPEC).

'This type of technology is exactly what we want to use in the future to look for signs of life on an Earth-like planet,' said Dimitri Mawet, an associate professor of astronomy at Caltech.

'We aren’t there yet but we are marching ahead.' 

As per record, HR 8799 is so-far the only multi-planet solar system to have had its picture taken. Astronomers now plan to repeat the process for all those smaller planets which are closer to their stars.

Scientists at the Keck Observatory wrote, is to look for chemicals signalling a habitable atmosphere for life on Earth-like planets such as water, oxygen and methane.

It is expected that more new Earth-like planets can be discovered once the Thirty Meter Telescope gets ready by 2020s.