Astronomers Confirm Atmosphere on Rocky Exoplanet 48 Light-Years Away in Habitable Zone
Updated
Updated · ScienceDaily · Jul 21
Astronomers Confirm Atmosphere on Rocky Exoplanet 48 Light-Years Away in Habitable Zone
3 articles · Updated · ScienceDaily · Jul 21
Summary
LHS 1140 b became the first rocky exoplanet in another star’s habitable zone with a confirmed atmosphere, a finding researchers called a key step in the search for life beyond Earth.
Helium leaking from the planet revealed that atmosphere after Collin Cherubim’s team predicted the signal in a model and then detected it with the WINERED spectrograph at Chile’s Magellan Observatory.
The observations caught LHS 1140 b and a neighboring planet transiting the same red dwarf on the same night; only LHS 1140 b showed a clear atmospheric signature.
Researchers estimate the atmosphere has survived for more than 3 billion years, making the planet a prime target for follow-up work on its chemistry, possible oceans and other signs of habitability.