Organic Molecules Found On Alien Planet

Back in July it was reported that water was found on another planet for the first time. Now organic molecules – in the form of methane – have been detected on the same planet. The giant planet, HD 189733b, which is slightly more massive than Jupiter and lies 63 light years from Earth. lies too close to its parent star for the methane to signal life, but the detection offers hope that astronomers will one day be able to analyze the atmospheres of Earth-like worlds. Because the planet crosses the face of its parent star as seen from Earth, some starlight is periodically filtered through the planet's atmosphere, where different chemicals absorb particular wavelengths. The observations confirm the earlier detection of water vapor and reveal the presence of methane gas.

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