Methane’s glow from an exoplanet
FEB 08, 2010
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.024065
CSMonitor.com : For the first time, astronomers have detected methane gas glowing like a fluorescent bulb in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting a distant star.Researchers have had glimpses of the atmospheres of so-called exoplanets before, but never in this way. The fluorescent signature of HD 189733b , a Jupiter-size planet in the faint constellation of Vulpecula, could help astronomers explore exoplanets in more detail—including ways that help them in the search for life elsewhere in the galaxy.
© 2010 American Institute of Physics
