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Hubble finds methane on distant planet

New York: Astronomers have detected an organic molecule in the atmosphere of a Jupiter-sized planet, a breakthrough which they claim will help in identifying signs of life outside our solar system.

Using the Hubble Space Telescope, they discovered the carbon-containing molecule methane on HD 189733b, a planet orbiting a star located 63 light years away in the Vulpecula constellation.

Under the right circumstances, methane can play a key role in prebiotic chemistry — the chemical reactions considered necessary to form life. “This is a crucial stepping stone to eventually characterising prebiotic molecules on planets where life could exist,” astronomer Mark Swain of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California said.

Water has also been found in its atmosphere, but the astronomers say the planet is far too hot to support life. —PTI

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