Although its existence has long been suspected, scientists have finally found evidence of water vapor in the atmosphere of an exosolar planet. The feat was accomplished by looking at the spectum of the Sun-like parent star (which is located in the constellation Vulpecula) as the light filtered through the planet's upper atmosphere on its way to Earth. Water vapor in the planet's atmosphere selectively absorbs certain frequencies of infrared radiation, and the tell-tale absorption spectrum was recorded by the Spitzer Space Telescope. The planet itself is one of a class called "Hot Jupiters"—large gaseous planets that orbit especially close to their parent stars—so chances are slim that it harbors any life. One of these days, though, we'll find evidence of life outside the solar system. For PPX players out there, keep an eye out for an upcoming IPO about Earth-like planets... this knowledge might come in handy. —Martha Harbison

Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA via Space.com

Astronomers and astrophysicists have their knickers in a twist over a cosmic double helix hanging out near the galactic center of the Milky Way. The Double Helix Nebula, which was detected by NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope, is 80 light-years long and sits about 300 light-years from a supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy. Scientists think that twisting magnetic-field lines from the galactic center have caused the nebula to fold on itself into its distinctive shape. —Martha Harbison
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