Organic molecules found on alien world for the first time

Organic molecules – in the form of methane – have been detected on a planet outside our solar system for the first time. The giant planet lies too close to its parent star for the methane to signal life, but the detection offers hope that astronomers will one day be able to analyse the atmospheres of Earth-like worlds.

The authors suggest that some ill-understood chemical process might be responsible, either concentrating the methane in cooler parts of the atmosphere, or generating extra methane directly. Alternatively, the methane might simply mean that the planet happens to be very rich in carbon, Seager says.

This combination of water and organic molecules would be a promising one for life if it were found in a less hostile spot than the atmosphere of a searing gas giant.

Eventually, astronomers hope to be able to analyse the atmospheres of smaller planets more akin to the Earth, and the new study is a big step in that direction, says Seager. “The path that we’re on is towards rocky planets,” she told New Scientist. “I’m really excited about this.”

Comment: I love how they essentially rule out the possibility of life on this planet, assuming that for life to exist planetary conditions would have to fit into the Earth pattern. In a few more years, this headline will change to: Giant firebeasts discovered on planet HD189733b, now formally known as Hell.