In an encouraging sign of life beyond earth, NASA scientists have found faint signatures of water in the atmospheres of five distant planets.
Though the presence of atmospheric water was reported previously on a few exoplanets orbiting stars beyond the solar system, but this is the first study to conclusively measure and compare the profiles and intensities of these signatures on multiple worlds, NASA said.
The five planets - WASP-17b, HD209458b, WASP-12b, WASP-19b and XO-1b - orbit nearby stars, a NASA report said adding that this was based on the research done through the Hubble telescope.
The strengths of their water signatures varied, it said. WASP-17b, a planet with an especially puffed-up atmosphere, and HD209458b had the strongest signals. The signatures for the other three planets, WASP-12b, WASP-19b and XO-1b, also are consistent with water, NASA said.