Space Sugar Discovered Around Sun-Like Star

[boogabooga]

http://news.yahoo.com/space-sugar-discovered-around-sun-star-130501414.html

 

[jedidia]

How on earth do you identify a freaking molecule 400 lightyears away???

 

[Artlav]

How on earth do you identify a freaking molecule 400 lightyears away???

Spectroscopy.

They looked for the emission of certain wavelengths within the radio part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Molecules each emit a distinctive band of radio wavelengths, which can be used as a fingerprint for the molecules.

 

[jedidia]

Impressive. Now why does this not work on exoplanetary atmospheres?

 

[Scav]

An aside:

(Sorry -- when I read the title, it was the first thing that came to mind. )

 

[llarian]

It does.

Several of the exoplanets have provided spectrographic data when their stars light passing through their atmospheres have been received and analyzed.

Take a look for how the "water planet" was identified.

 

[Suzy]

So does that mean if alien life were to evolve there it could end up having similar RNA or DNA composition to ours?

 

[RisingFury]

Impressive. Now why does this not work on exoplanetary atmospheres?

Sure it does.

You wait for the planet to pass through the star, that way you get the spectroscopic reading for the planet and start combined. Then you wait for the planet to pass behind the star and you get the spectroscopic reading for the star only. Then you subtract them and you get the reading for the planet.

So does that mean if alien life were to evolve there it could end up having similar RNA or DNA composition to ours?

It means there's lots of cake there... and no lies.

 

[garyw]

Impressive. Now why does this not work on exoplanetary atmospheres?

As RF said - it does and here is the proof -> http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2010/jan/13/exoplanets-atmosphere-is-laid-bare

 

[Loru]

That's really important discovery & IMHO it shows potential of humankind.

Locating & identifying "few" molecues over 400 lightyears away is really impressive achievement. Also it's next step in searching for origin of life.