  Hydrocarbons such as methane and ethane are present in many solar system
objects, including comets, moons and planets. The interaction of these
hydrocarbons with water ice at low temperatures could lead to the formation of
inclusion compounds, such as clathrate hydrates (water based host cages
trapping hydrocarbons guest molecules), modifying their retention, stability
and therefore evolution. The occurrence of {\cor clathrate hydrates} on solar
system surfaces could be established by remote sensing of their spectroscopic
signatures. In this study, we measure and analyse ethane clathrate hydrate
spectra recorded in the temperature range from 5.3 to 160K, covering most of
the temperature range of interest for solar system objects. Specific infrared
band signatures are identified for the ethane encaged guest. We provide
evidence that ethane clathrate hydrate outcrops can be detected by remote
sensing on the surface of planetary bodies.
