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Friday, March 21, 2008

Methane in Extrasolar Planet's Atmosphere: A First

"First Whiff of Methane in Extrasolar Planet's Atmosphere"
Scientific American (March 20, 2008)

"Astronomers report they have detected methane for the first time in the atmosphere of planet outside our solar system and corroborated a report last year that picked out water vapor in its atmosphere. The finding comes from extrasolar planet HD 189733 b, a gaseous "hot Jupiter" locked in a tight orbit around a star 63 light-years away."

The blurb, "Can extraterrestrial ruminants be far behind?" is a bit far-fetched: but it's exciting news, just the same.
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