Astronomers Find Common Earth Molecules in Exoplanetary Atmospheres

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia –

The team of astronomers claims to have detected a common molecule Earth, hydroxyl (OH), in the atmosphere of exoplanets (planets orbiting stars other than the Sun). OH is found on the exoplanet WASP-33b called ‘ultra-hot Jupiter’.

WASP-33b is a gas giant planet that orbits its parent star closer than Mercury orbits the Sun. The planet’s atmospheric temperature is known to be more than 2,500 degrees Celsius, the temperature equivalent to melting metal.

Launch Science AlertThe, OH found in the Earth’s atmosphere is produced by the reaction of water vapor with atomic oxygen. OH is called an ‘atmospheric detergent’ and plays an important role in the earth’s atmosphere to clean up pollutant gases that can be harmful to life, for example, methane and carbon monoxide.

“This is the first direct evidence of OH in the atmospheres of planets outside the Solar System. It shows not only that astronomers can detect these molecules in exoplanet atmospheres, but also that they can begin to understand the detailed chemistry of the planet’s population,” said the Center researcher. Queen Belfast University Astrobiology, Stevanus Nugroho.

On much hotter and larger planets like WASP-33b, where astronomers have previously detected signs of iron and titanium oxide gas), OH plays a key role in determining the chemical properties of the atmosphere through interactions with water vapor and carbon monoxide.

Most of the OH in the WASP-33b atmosphere is thought to be generated by the destruction of water vapor due to the extremely high temperature.

“We only saw a tentative and weak signal of water vapor in our data, which would support the idea that water is being broken down to form hydroxyl in these extreme environments,” said Ernst de Mooij of Queen’s University Belfast.

Launch SciTech DailyThe team used the InfraRed Doppler (IRD) instrument on the 8.2-meter-diameter Subaru Telescope located in the summit area of ​​Maunakea in Hawaii, about 4,200 m above sea level.

The instruments can detect atoms and molecules through their ‘spectral fingerprints’, a unique set of dark absorption features superimposed on the rainbow of color (or spectrum) emitted by stars and planets.

As a planet orbits its parent star, its speed relative to Earth changes over time. Just as an ambulance siren or the roar of a race car engine changes its tone as it travels past us, the light frequency (such as the color) of this spectrum fingerprint changes with the speed of the planet.

That allows astronomers to separate the planet’s signal from its bright parent star, which normally goes beyond such observations, even though modern telescopes are not powerful enough to take direct images of such ‘hot Jupiter’.

“Each new atmospheric species discovered further enhances our understanding of exoplanets and the techniques needed to study their atmospheres, and brings us closer to this goal,” said Neale Gibson, assistant professor at Trinity College Dublin.

(jps / fea)

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