Posted on 12/09/2008 6:36:06 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (AFP) – NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has discovered both carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide in the atmosphere of a distant planet, in a key step for finding extraterrestrial life, the space agency said Tuesday.
Detecting organic compounds that can be a by-product of life processes on an Earth-like body could one day "provide the first evidence of life beyond our planet," NASA said in a statement.
The discovery was made on a Jupiter-size planet 63 light years away from Earth that is too hot for life, and is all gas and liquid.
"We're not closer to discovering life on this particular planet," admitted Ray Villard of the Space Telescope Science Institute.
"But it has the mix of chemistry that on the right planet could be a biotracer for life," he said.
Scientists have studied the planet intensively, finding the organic molecule methane as well as water vapor, Villard added.
The carbon dioxide and monoxide were detected by Mark Swain, a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, using Hubble to study infrared light emitted from the planet.
"The carbon dioxide is the main reason for the excitement because, under the right circumstances, it could have a connection to biological activity as it does on Earth," Swain said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
All Carbon is evil. That planet must be destroyed. Calling Darth Vader. Darth Vader, please pick up the red courtesy phone.
I wish it could find the birth certificate, but Barry has that out of range of even the Hubble
The CO2 detected probably appeared for the first time during the Bush Administration.
Now that was a good one, lmao.
LOL!
No. It was there 63 years ago, we don’t know what’s there now.
After so long, it has probably evolved into carbon pentoxide and carbon hexoxide.
I bet it threatens the Manbearpig population as well.
Tax them.
I’m ready to go there now. A world without Obama.
Cap and Trade!.....Cap and Trade!
NASA, forget the ET crap and just stick with science.
Could we send AlGore there to clean the place up?
OTOH, any natives might take extreme offense at sending them such a creature.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.