The Hubble Space Telescope has achieved new imaging techniques, and this has helped scientists to detect some tracers of water vapor across five different planets in our galaxy. Of course, having detected water on other planets does not automatically mean that life can be supported, since none of these five planets are able to support life according to our definition due to other numerous factors – the main one being these planets are made out of gas, and remain too close to their respective suns which does not allow them to sustain liquid water on their surfaces.
For the curious, these 5 planets are known as WASP-17b, HD209458b, WASP-12b, WASP-19b and XO-1b, where they remain tidally locked with their stars. This means the same side of the planet will face the star at all times, making it bombarded with a constant and powerful stream of solar radiation, which makes it extremely hot and hence, impossible for life that we know on earth to be able to exist in such an environment. If only there were some alien crop circles or something of the equivalent to give us a glimmer of hope that there is some intelligent life out there, or any form of life at all.
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