Is there life beyond Earth? This question intrigues humanity and could be answered in the coming decades.
We are preparing ourselves for the discovery of life on exoplanets by measuring and simulating the light
reflected from Earth. This will allow us to test new detection methods for specialised instruments on
future space telescopes. We consider the ultimate sign of life to be the homochirality of biological molecules,
which can be observed remotely in the form of circular polarisation. With the help of measured polarisation
signals from a wide range of surfaces (for example rocks, glaciers and vegetation) we are developing a
realistic model for the analysis of light signals from exoplanets with life.
( Credits)
I am a passenger on the spaceship Earth.
Buckminster Fuller
About me
Leiden University / Delft University of Technology