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Nature 452, 296-297 (20 March 2008) | doi:10.1038/452296a; Published online 19 March 2008
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Extrasolar planets: A whiff of methane
Adam P. Showman1
Abstract
Investigations of planets outside our Solar System are becoming ever more sophisticated. The latest development is the discovery of a carbon-containing molecule in the atmosphere of one such extrasolar body.
Methane is a constituent of many of the atmospheres in our Solar System: those of Earth, Mars, Titan and the gas giants Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune all contain traces of it. Despite its low abundance, the methane provides telling clues about planetary formation, evolution, weather, photochemistry and — in the case of Earth — life.
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