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Astronomy

The Spectral Signatures of Ozone on Exoplanets as a Biosignature

Quick fact

Ozone has a very strong absorption feature in the ultraviolet (UV) region of the spectrum, which happens to be a region where the Earth's own atmosphere absorbs almost all incoming sunlight. This makes ozone one of the most detectable potential biosignature gases on transiting exoplanets, despite being present in only trace amounts.

Why this is interesting

Imagine reading the chemical ingredients of a distant world's air from millions of light-years away—and one of those ingredients turns out to be a byproduct of life. How can we do that?