Astronomers reported Wednesday that they had made the first detection of an organic molecule, methane, in the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system and had confirmed the presence of water there, clearing the way for a bright future of inspecting the galaxy for livable planets, for the chemical stuff of life, or even for life itself.

Under the right conditions, water can combine with organic chemicals like methane to make amino acids, the building blocks of life as we know it. While the presence of these chemicals was not a big surprise and while the planet in question — in the constellation Vulpecula — is too hot and massive for living creatures, the result left astronomers elated at their improving powers of celestial discernment.

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