Why it's a Mind Blow: Over the past decade, we've been able to detect several thousand planets around other stars. By observing a change in brightness or the gravitational wobble of their home stars, we knew they were there. But now, for the first time, the Spitzer Space Telescope has actually captured light directly from an extra-solar world.
This is exciting on many levels. With the deployment of the James Webb Space Telescope in the coming years, we will be able to see the cosmos in even greater detail. We may be able to use spectral analysis to determine the composition of alien atmospheres, honing in on habitable worlds that may sustain alien life now, or even human life in the future.
Mostly, this breakthrough is thrilling for all of us space junkies who realize that a human lifespan is a blink of the eye in cosmic terms. There are so many things out there we want to see and know, and the vast distances that separate the stars will not be traveled in our lifetimes. But hey, that's ok, because we've just taken a major step towards the kind of cosmic voyeurism I've only dreamed of. There's a lot to see, and those of us lucky enough to be alive during this unprecedented age of discovery are going to get the chance to see it!
Source: http://www.universetoday.com/95066/light-from-a-superearth-detected-for-the-first-time/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews
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