We can detect volcanoes on alien worlds, say scientists
September 8th, 2010 - 1:46 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Sept 8 (ANI): Scientists at at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics have said that it is possible for us to detect volcanoes on alien planets.
“You would need something truly earthshaking, an eruption that dumped a lot of gases into the atmosphere,” said Smithsonian astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger.
“Using the James Webb Space Telescope, we could spot an eruption 10 to 100 times the size of Pinatubo for the closest stars,” she added.
In a few cases, scientists have been able to detect exoplanet atmospheres for gas giants known as “hot Jupiters.” An eruption sends out fumes and various gases, so volcanic activity on a rocky exoplanet might leave a telltale atmospheric signature.
Kaltenegger, Wade Henning and Dimitar Sasselov found that sulphur dioxide from a very large, explosive eruption is potentially measurable because a lot is produced and it is slow to wash out of the air.
The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines spewed about 17 million tons of sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere.
“Once you detected one eruption, you could keep watch for further ones, to learn if frequent eruptions are common on other planets,” said Henning.
To look for volcanic sulphur dioxide, astronomers would rely on a technique known as the secondary eclipse, which requires the exoplanet to cross behind its star as seen from Earth.
Alpha Centauri for instance, would offer a best-case scenario for a Sun-like star. A super-Earth orbiting a smaller host star close to our own Sun would show the biggest signal. But any Earth-like planet less than 30 light-years away could show faint signs of volcanism when studied with the James Webb Space Telescope.
This research will be published in The Astrophysical Journal. (ANI)
- Avatar's life-bearing moon Pandora may exist in reality - Dec 18, 2009
- Could Avatar's moon Pandora be for real? - Dec 18, 2009
- NASA's super-Earth characterization could help find life on other planets - Dec 02, 2010
- Venus could hold warning for Earth - Dec 01, 2010
- 50 new planets found - Sep 13, 2011
- Astronomers unveil 'super-exotic' exoplanet - Apr 29, 2011
- New device to help confirm Kepler's planetary candidates - Feb 15, 2011
- Scientists ferret out planet-hunting targets with NASA telescope - Apr 08, 2011
- Detecting Earth-like planets harder than previously thought - Mar 20, 2009
- Hubble discovers new, all-water planet - Feb 22, 2012
- Densest solid planet known 'super-exotic super-Earth' unveiled - Apr 29, 2011
- Strange 'hot spot' seen on distant exoplanet - Oct 20, 2010
- NASA's Spitzer detects light of alien 'Super-Earth' - May 09, 2012
- NASA's little telescope detects Earth-like planet - Feb 04, 2010
- New 'super-earth' 40 light years away might have water - Dec 03, 2010
Tags: alien planets, alien worlds, alpha centauri, astrophysical journal, best case scenario, closest stars, eruption of mount pinatubo, explosive eruption, frequent eruptions, gas giants, harvard smithsonian center, harvard smithsonian center for astrophysics, host star, hot jupiters, james webb, james webb space telescope, pinatubo, sulphur dioxide, super earth, webb space telescope