Mega-Volcanoes Might Be Detectable On Exoplanets

astroengine writes "Could we detect a huge volcanic eruption on an exoplanet 30 light-years from Earth? Possibly, say scientists from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. What's more, there may be an opportunity for us to spot the ashy pollution ejected into the exoplanetary atmosphere when NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is launched in 2014. According to Discovery News, this would be a huge discovery if an Earth-like world was found to have active volcanoes: 'A geologically active terrestrial planet may be more suitable for life. It recycles crust, unleashes greenhouse gasses, opens new environmental niches, and generally provides a dynamic environment for advantageous life forms.'" According to a related story at the BBC, we should soon be able to detect the presence of oceans on distant worlds as well. The JWST will be able to resolve the reflection of light off an ocean's surface from 20-30 light-years away.

Comments

this stretches credibility

[Simonetta]

It stretches credibility to believe that astronomers could detect volcanos on planets 30 eff-ing light years away. I think that they are just bullshitting the feds in order to get more funding, what with astronomy being a rather low priority with the USA trillons of dollars in debt, the banking system collapsing, and the easy sources of oil depleting.

    What difference would it make anyway? Even if technology were to continue on the same arc that it has for the past 150 years, it would still be a 5000 year project to get to another planet that is 30 eff-ing light years away.

    Don't you just love all the Star Trek films where faster-than-light giant interplanetary starships are exploring distant reaches of the galaxy in only 200 years from now ? In 200 years from now, we will still be paying off the Iraq/Afghanistan war and trying to figure out how to grow grass in the thin layer of topsoil that used to be the corn-belt of the North American MidWest. Not to mention protecting our kids for antibiotic-resistant TB that resulted from late-20th century abuses.

    Jeez, guys, stop wasting our time with science fiction fantasies about volcanos on planets 30 eff-ing light years away!

Re:Pay no attention to the pyroclastic flow

[Anonymous Coward]

Although I have to admit, it's only the geological instability of the Earth that prevented it from being Snowball Earth for all eternity. The sun's light could have been reflected into space forever, but the magma didn't know or care that the entire planet was a glacier, it wanted out, and created enough ash to lower the Earth's albedo and raise the solar absorption and cause the global warming that gave us back our tropics and dog days. So, post hoc ergo propter hoc applies to our terrestrial planet, for one.

Blasphemer!!! Only people cause global warming not volcanic ash! How can you say such lies?! Haven't you seen "An Inconvenient Truth"?!! Bush Supporter!!!

Oh, wait, I get it now. "Magma" is a code word for G. W. Bush... sorry about the rant.

Re:Pay no attention to the pyroclastic flow

[blair1q]

Thanks for that advice, Biggus Dickus.

Re:Pay no attention to the pyroclastic flow

[Coren22]

Did you just tell mcgrew he has a big dick...wow...