A new potential energy surface of methane is constructed using extended ab initio CCSD(T) calculations at 19 882 points. Its analytical representation is determined through an expansion in symmetry adapted products of orthogonal coordinates involving 276 parameters up to 8th order with the equilibrium bond r(e) = 1.08601 +/- 0.00004 angstrom and four quadratic parameters scaled to experimental fundamental vibration frequencies. Variational calculations give RMS (obs.-calc.) deviations of 0.085 and 0.25 cm(1) for vibration levels of the pentad and octad. Rotational energies up to J = 10 are calculated using potential expansion in normal coordinate tensors with maximum errors of 0.0007 and 0.0003 cm (1) for (CH4)-C-12 and (CH4)-C-13. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.