Dimethyl ether (DME, CH₃OCH₃) was observed by Snyder et al. in the Orion Nebula molecular cloud in 1974. A subsequent study from 1979 by Clark et al. identified additional, confirming rotational transitions beyond the single one from the initial report. The follow-up work also also observed DME in Sgr B2, as did Winnewisser & Gardner in 1976.

Dimethyl ether is a well-known organic molecule with a variety of applications, including refrigerant, aerosol propellant, and fuel. It is a cousin of diethyl ether, used as an early anesthetic.

Update (June 2018) - DME was detected for the first time in an extragalactic source, NGC 1068, by Qiu et al.