Whatever faint light planets emit or reflect, they radiate more in the infrared than in visible light, and the three molecules associated with life have clear signatures in the infrared. We're the first generation to say, 'Yes, we know how to do it,' and now we're taking the steps to do it. On Earth, some of the first steps have already been taken. The search for other worlds got a major shot in the arm 18 months ago, when astronomers announced the first indirect detection of a planet orbiting a sunlike star. At last count, researchers have found evidence suggestive of eight giant planets by tracking the motion of stars.
Telltale wobbles betray the gravitational tug of an unseen planet.
They may even spot planets as small as Uranus, which is about 15 times as massive as Earth. Over the next decade, large telescopes with mirrors that can flex 100 times a second to correct for the blurring effects of Earth's atmosphere may capture a direct image of a Jupiter-size planet from the ground, according to a 1995 report. For detecting Earthlike planets, however, there's no place like space. Deep space, that is. The Terrestrial Planet Finder would elude much of the dust from our planetary system, but it would have to take into account dust bathing any other planetary system it studies.