It was the first time that scientist had tracked any organic molecule i.e., methane on a planet circling a nearby star.Hubble telescope has detected out the methane in the planet HD189733b, located 63 light years away in the constellation Vulpecula. It's being predicted that methane can play a crucial role for life forming situations.
"This is a crucial stepping stone to eventually characterising pre-biotic molecules on planets where life could exist," said Mark Swain of NASA, who led the team that made the discovery.
The planet is so close to its parent star that it takes just over two days to complete an orbit. HD 189733b's atmosphere is a sweltering 900 degrees C - the melting point of silver. The discovery comes after extensive observations made in May 2007 with Hubble's near infrared camera and multi-object spectrometer (NICMOS).
In earth methane is produced by natural sources like termites, the oceans and wetland environments, and also from livestock and manmade sources like waste landfills.
It was the first time that scientist had tracked any organic molecule i.e., methane on a planet circling a nearby star.Hubble telescope has detected out the methane in the planet HD189733b, located 63 light years away in the constellation Vulpecula. It's being predicted that methane can play a crucial role for life forming situations.
