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Biosignature · Biosignature Science

Atmospheric Biosignature

Gases in a planet's atmosphere that life could produce and maintain — especially a chemical disequilibrium, like oxygen and methane together, that non-living chemistry would quickly erase. Detected by the spectroscopy of a planet's light.

Highlights

  • Oxygen and methane together — a chemical disequilibrium

Knowledge connections

Sources

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

  • NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration

    Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.

    Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.