Washington - The Hubble telescope has detected carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a planet in another solar system, in what NASA called a key step that could one day help researchers find life on another planet.

The planet HD 189733b is located about 63 light-years away and is about the size of Jupiter, but is too hot for life, NASA researchers said Tuesday.

Scientists used Hubble's infrared camera to find wavelengths that show carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide gasses in the planet's atmosphere. Researchers had earlier found water vapor and methane surrounding HD 189733b.

Under the right circumstances, such as on an Earth-sized rocky planet, organic compounds such as carbon dioxide could be markers for life.