BEIJING, April 11 (Xinhuanet) -- An astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, said Tuesday water has been found for the first time outside our solar system in the constellation Peagasus on a large, Jupiter-like gaseous planet.

    Other scientists reported in February they could not find evidence of water in this planet's atmosphere, as well as another Jupiter-like planet.

    "I'm very confident," said Travis Barman. "It's definitely good news because water has been predicted to be present in the atmosphere of this planet and many of the other ones for some time."

    Lowell Observatory, a privately owned astronomical research institution, announced the finding, which has been accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. The research was backed by NASA, it said.

    The detection of the presence of water vapor was possible because this planet (HD 209458B), from the vantage point of Earth, orbits directly in front of its star every 3-1/2 days, allowing crucial measurements to be made. It is what is known as a transiting planet.

    Scientists searching for signs of life beyond Earth are keen to learn about the presence of water on other planets -- both in and beyond our solar system -- because water is thought to be fundamental to the existence of life.

    Barman noted a Jupiter-like gaseous planet such as this one, as opposed to a rocky one like Earth, is highly unlikely to harbor life, and said the finding about water vapor in its atmosphere does not answer one way or another questions about the existence of extraterrestrial life.

    Planet HD 209458b also was the first planet outside the solar system found with an atmosphere and the first detected transiting planet. There are more than 200 known planets outside our solar system.

    (Agencies)