First traces of water clouds found outside our solar system

Image courtesy: NASA

New Delhi: Universe is full of mysteries and surprises. In one of the major astronomical breakthroughs, scientists have spotted some traces that supports the existence of water clouds outside our solar system.

For the first time ever a team of astronomers have succeeded in obtaining the infrared spectrum of brown dwarf, called WISE 0855, that shows strong evidence of clouds of water or water ice outside our solar system.

Brown dwarf was first discovered in 2014 and it is five times the size of Jupiter. It is the coldest known object outside the solar system.

The findings, to be published in Astrophysical Journal Letters also found that the atmospheric and many other conditions on brown dwarf are quite similar to those on Jupiter. According to Space.com brown dwarf is an object that is too large to be a planet but too small to spark the internal fusion reactions that powers a star.

Astronomers also call it failed star because its origination process is similar to a star but it lacks enough mass that can spark nuclear fusion reaction inside it.