Stuff of Life (but Not Life Itself) Is Detected on a Distant Planet
Methane, an ingredient of the building blocks of life, has been found in the atmosphere of a planet called HD 189733b, which is 63 lights years distant from Earth.
Astronomers reported Wednesday that they had made the first detection of an organic molecule, methane, in the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system and had confirmed the presence of water there, clearing the way for a bright future of inspecting the galaxy for livable planets, for the chemical stuff of life, or even for life itself.
