Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search
« Back to the grid | Next story »

Methane Found on Far-off Planet

Posted Mar 19, 08 4:59 PM CDT in Science & Health 

(Newser) – Methane, one of the simplest compounds known to play a role in the chemical genesis of life, was discovered for the first time to exist on a planet outside Earth’s solar system, the BBC reports. The planet, designated HD 189733b, is 63 light years away and also contains water, but is far too hot to support life as we know it.

Methane, composed of carbon and hydrogen, is the fundamental organic compound. "This is a crucial stepping stone to eventually characterizing prebiotic molecules on planets where life could exist," one scientist said of the detection by a space telescope. Scientists know the mass and orbital properties of about 270 extrasolar planets, but are just beginning to collect more detailed information.

Source BBC

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Planet with Water Discovered

    Jul 11, 07 3:57 PM CDT
    Planet with Water Discovered Astronomers located the first planet beyond our solar system that hosts water—a giant gas ball bigger than Jupiter and named HD 189733b. Its sizzling climate, which can reach upwards of 3,600 degrees, renders it uninhabitable to any extraterrestrials, but the discovery shows that water is more common in outer space than previously thought. More »

The chemical structure of methane, the simplest organic compound.   (Wikimedia commons)
Picture released 04 October 2006 by the European Space Agency shows an artist's impression of a Jupiter-sized planet passing in front of its parent star.   (Getty Images)
The Planet Jupiter is visible to the naked eye as it passes behind the moon at the Mount Cootha Lookout on June 16, 2005 in Brisbane, Australia. A planet found to contain methane is a gas giant similar...   ((Jonathan Wood/Getty Images))
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 1)

Tags

space • extraterrestrial life • methane • Hubble • carbon • Jupiter • extrasolar planets • Spitzer orbiting telescope • organic compounds


Loading...

Today's Most Popular

Loading...
SPONSORED NEWS ARCHIVE

Lonely Planet Content Review (US Fed News Service, Including US State News)

HUBBLE ANNOUNCES MAJOR EXTRASOLAR PLANET DISCOVERY (US Fed News Service, Including US State News)

MARS PHOENIX LANDER FINISHES SUCCESSFUL WORK ON RED PLANET (US Fed News Service, Including US State News)

Animal Planet branches out with new series, ad deals; Pizza Hut, Honda and... (Advertising Age)

Green Gas concludes coal mine gas management joint venture in China.(Energy... (China Chemical Reporter)

A LOW-energy, high-fibre diet could be the solution to global warming -- by... (Irish Independent (Dublin, Republic of Ireland))

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA HELPS PAVE WAY TO INTRIGUING INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY... (US Fed News Service, Including US State News)

Is there any hope for this man? Assessments of Barack Obama from planet reason. (Reason)

Mars Phoenix Lander Finishes Successful Work on Red Planet. (AScribe Science News Service)

Record View: Obama has the ability to bring unity; ALE TO THE CHIEF: UNITED... (Daily Record (Glasgow, Scotland))


Other Science & Health Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »