Posted on by Evan Gough

Measuring the Atmospheres of Other Worlds to See if There are Enough Nutrients for Life

A NASA graphic explaining how a telescope can measure an exoplanet atmosphere using spectroscopy. Courtesy: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Lizbeth B. De La Torre.
A NASA graphic explaining how a telescope can measure an exoplanet atmosphere using spectroscopy. Courtesy: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Lizbeth B. De La Torre.

Life on Earth depends on six critical elements: Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorous, and Sulfur. These elements are referred to as CHNOPS, and along with several trace micronutrients and liquid water, they’re what life needs.

Scientists are getting a handle on detecting exoplanets that might be warm enough to have liquid water on their surfaces, habitability’s most basic signal. But now, they’re looking to up their game by finding CHNOPS in exoplanet atmospheres.

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Posted on by Evan Gough

ESA’s ARIEL Mission Will Study the Atmospheres of More Than 1,000 Exoplanets

The ARIEL mission is a space telescope that will examine the atmospheres of at least 1000 exoplanets. Image Credit: ESA

We found our first exoplanets orbiting a pulsar in 1992. Since then, we’ve discovered many thousands more. Those were the first steps in identifying other worlds that could harbour life.

Now planetary scientists want to take the next step: studying exoplanet atmospheres.

The ESA’s ARIEL mission will be a powerful tool.

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