Methane's glow from an exoplanet

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.