Astronomers using NASA’s Spitzer space telescope have detected water vapour in the atmosphere of extrasolar planet HD 189733b. The planet is far from being habitable though with an average temperature of about 1000 degrees Kelvin, however the discovery has led scientists to believe that water is more common out there in the Universe than was previously thought.

Planet HD 189733b is a Jupiter like gas giant 63 light years away in the direction of the constellation Vulpecula. It orbits its sun approximately once every couple of days at an average distance 30 times closer than the Earth is to our Sun.

This is the second time traces of water have been detected on an extrasolar planet, the first discovery was made earlier this year when astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope detected water on Planet HD 209458b.

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