This consists of monitoring stars for periodic dips in brightness, which are indications of planets passing in front of their parent stars (relative to the observer). When it comes to exoplanet characterization, the most promising technique is the Transit Method (aka. The ESO’s GRAVITY instrument on its Very Large Telescope Interferometer made the first direct optical observation of this planet and its atmosphere. The study that described their findings, titled “ Detecting Oceans on Exoplanets with Phase-Dependent Spectral Principal Component Analysis,” recently appeared online and is being considered for publication by The Planetary Science Journal.Īn artist’s illustration of the exoplanet HR8799e. Robinson – an Assistant Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Science at NAU and the NASA Astrobiology Institute. Ryan, a postdoctoral researcher at Northern Arizona University (NAU), and Tyler D. The research was conducted by postdoctoral researcher Dominick J. The ability to find water on other planets, a key ingredient in life on Earth, will go a long way towards finding extraterrestrial life. Recently, a pair of researchers from Northern Arizona University, with support from the NASA Astrobiology Institute’s Virtual Planetary Laboratory (VPL), developed a technique for finding oceans on exoplanets. In the process, exoplanet researchers hope to see if any of these planets possess the necessary ingredients for life as we know it. As a result, exoplanet studies have been moving away from the discovery process and towards characterization, where follow-up observations of exoplanets are conducted to learn more about their atmospheres and environments. To date, 4,525 exoplanets have been confirmed in 3,357 systems, with another 7,761 candidates awaiting confirmation. You could say that the study of extrasolar planets is in a phase of transition of late.

Obscured by clouds film