Alien worlds with life may snap, crackle and pop
March 25th, 2009 - 1:21 pm ICT by ANI ( Leave a comment )London, March 25 (ANI): In a new research, scientists have suggested that alien worlds which are friendly to life could snap, crackle and pop, in the form of radio signals crackling from their magnetic fields.
According to a report in New Scientist, the research was conducted by Joseph Lazio at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC and colleagues.
When struck by high-energy particles in the solar wind, an exoplanets magnetic field may produce radio signals from auroras in the planets atmosphere.
While current telescopes have yet to pick up these crackles, its an area worth exploring, said Lazio.
Because a magnetic field helps to preserve atmospheres and oceans, a magnetosphere may signify that a planet has complex surface life.
This is something we think is worth studying at a modest level, the payoff could be immense, said Lazio.
The snag is that scientists would need a space telescope 100 times as sensitive as any planned to find auroras within a few dozen light years, because the Earths atmosphere would absorb the low frequency signals.
That leads some planet hunters to doubt the ideas feasibility.
We have never directly detected the magnetosphere from any extrasolar planet, despite strong efforts, said Geoff Marcy of the University of California, Berkeley.
Yet planetary magnetospheres would be easier to spot at radio frequencies than planets themselves, said Gordon Walker of the University of Victoria in British Columbia, who has spotted an exoplanets magnetic field indirectly by studying its host star.
Its an exciting proposal, he said. (ANI)
- Observing flares of ultraviolet light from Jupiter's aurora - Feb 10, 2011
- Saturn's auroral heartbeat discovered - Aug 05, 2010
- Cassini captures 'ghostly dance' of Saturn's northern lights - Nov 25, 2009
- We can detect volcanoes on alien worlds, say scientists - Sep 08, 2010
- Trigger that sets off pulsating aurorae found - Oct 02, 2010
- Boffins discover "spacequakes" that rumble in Earth's atmosphere - Aug 02, 2010
- Scientists to spot alien oceans with next generation of telescopes - Sep 10, 2010
- Scientists create 'artificial ionosphere' using radio waves - Oct 04, 2009
- Red, green and blue colours are best to find Earth-like planets - Feb 24, 2011
- Giant Antarctic balloon detects mysterious ultra-high-energy cosmic rays - Oct 12, 2010
- Astronomers discover new planet in Milky Way - Mar 19, 2010
- Strange 'hot spot' seen on distant exoplanet - Oct 20, 2010
- NASA's planet hunting mission delayed due to electronic glitch - Oct 31, 2009
- No connection between superstorms and Earth's magnetic fields: Experts - Feb 13, 2011
- New study resolves years-long scientific debate - Oct 21, 2010
Tags: alien worlds, earths atmosphere, energy particles, frequency signals, geoff marcy, gordon walker, host star, joseph lazio, london march, magnetosphere, naval research laboratory, new scientist, planet hunters, planetary magnetospheres, radio signals, research scientists, space telescope, surface life, university of california berkeley, university of victoria