Methane forms under space conditions in laboratory
(PHYSorg.com Space & Earth)

An international team of astronomers has shown in a laboratory at Leiden University (the Netherlands) that methane can form on icy dust particles in space. The possibility had existed for quite some time, but because the conditions in space were difficult to simulate, it was not possible to prove this under relevant space conditions. The researchers will publish their findings Monday evening in the journal, Nature Astronomy.