Colors of ExoEarths Could Indicate Habitability

In the rapidly advancing field of exoplanet research, it always helps to be one step ahead. A handful of rocky exoplanets have been discovered to date, and it is only a matter a time before the floodgates open and the number of known terrestrial exoplanets skyrockets. These planets could bear alien life, but how do we know which ones are worthy of a detailed inspection?

The most basic criterion when looking for habitable planets is that they should have liquid water, as liquid water is essential for life as we know it. Another criterion is to search for habitats in which life is known to exist on Earth, and a new study by Siddharth Hegde and Lisa Kaltenegger at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany has revealed a method that will do just that.

Organisms that can live quite happily in extreme environments, known as extremophiles, define the boundaries of habitability. By identifying the colors of environments known to be a haven for extremophiles on Earth, it is possible to search for similar environments on planets that are akin to our own.