Searching for signatures of life on extra-solar plantes

The direct detection of terrestrial extra-solar planned should be possible in the next 10 or 20 years. It is the main purpose of two space missions: Darwin (ESA) and TPF (NASA). Moreover, assuming a detection of such a planet, these telescopes should also be able to perform low-resolution spectra of this new world and therefore to infer the presence of atmospheric compounds. I will discuss the exobiological implications of these extrasolar spectroscopic studies:

  • Is it possible to infer the existence of an ecosystem from some spectroscopic features? What is the risk of"false positive" detection, that is confusing the signature of abiotic processes with the signature of life?
  • What can we learn from the history of our planet and from the other planets of the solar system?

 

Fecha: 
17/12/2001 - 13:00
Conferenciante: 
Franck Selsis
Filiación: 
Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC)


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