We’ve found a rocky, temperate planet’s atmosphere for the first time.
For the first time, astronomers have detected an atmosphere on a rocky, temperate world beyond our solar system. It is the strongest evidence yet for an exoplanet that could be able to support alien life.
The planet in question, called LHS 1140b, orbits a small, cool type of star called an M dwarf, about 50 light years from Earth. Researchers have been searching for atmosphere-shrouded planets around M dwarfs for decades because they are the most common type of star in the galaxy, but with no luck until now – some researchers had even postulated that planets around these small stars might not be able to hold onto atmospheres.
