---
title: How Does NASA Detect Atmospheres on Distant Worlds? — HIGH T3CH
url: https://hight3ch.com/how-does-nasa-detect-atmospheres-on-distant-worlds/
date: 2013-12-05
---

# How Does NASA Detect Atmospheres on Distant Worlds?

Since the early 1990’s, astronomers have known that extrasolar planets, or “exoplanets,” orbit stars light-years beyond our own solar system. Although most exoplanets are too distant to be directly imaged, detailed studies have been made of their size, composition, and even atmospheric makeup – but how?