Posted on Saturday, March 31, 2012
NASA's Kepler spacecraft is discovering a veritable avalanche of alien worlds. How do scientists study these alien worlds?
Fortunately NASA has a plan, by studying the reflective light of the exo planet using the technique called "Transit Spectroscopy". Basic idea is simple. When a planet reflects the light of its parent star, the atmosphere of the planet leaves a subtle imprint on reflection. Then astronomers can use these data to learn, what the atmosphere is made of.
Shawn Damagal-Goldman says, "Kepler will find a Goldilocks Planet within a next two years". Shawn Damagal-Goldman is researcher in NASA HQ, specializes in exo planet biology.
Watch the NASA's science cast below,
Fortunately NASA has a plan, by studying the reflective light of the exo planet using the technique called "Transit Spectroscopy". Basic idea is simple. When a planet reflects the light of its parent star, the atmosphere of the planet leaves a subtle imprint on reflection. Then astronomers can use these data to learn, what the atmosphere is made of.
Shawn Damagal-Goldman says, "Kepler will find a Goldilocks Planet within a next two years". Shawn Damagal-Goldman is researcher in NASA HQ, specializes in exo planet biology.
Watch the NASA's science cast below,
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