- WHY IT MATTERS: Mark Swain of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, says the discovery of organic molecules in a planet's atmosphere is a significant step toward identifying the conditions necessary to sustain life there.
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Artist's impression of HD 189733b
By identifying the "chemical fingerprints" -- organic molecules found in a planet's environment -- scientists can begin to locate "habitable zones" in exoplanets (planets outside our solar system). These zones are defined by their chemical composition, temperature, and pressure, all of which are necessary for the possibility of life.
The detection of water and methane in the atmosphere of the Jupiter-sized gas giant, HD 189733 b, may open the door to a deeper and more localized analysis of other more promising exoplanetary environments, scientists say.
