SerpApi.Org
For the first time, scientists have found a rocky planet with an atmosphere orbiting in a star’s habitable zone. Researchers from Harvard University say the Earth-like world has conditions similar to those on Earth.
The exoplanet, LHS 1140 b, is 48 light-years from Earth. It orbits a red dwarf star at a distance close enough for water to remain liquid, but far enough away that it would not boil.
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Although researchers have identified other exoplanets in our galaxy, only a handful of rocky worlds have been found in what is known as the habitable zone. LHS 1140 b is the first of those planets found to have an atmosphere.
“An atmosphere is essential for a planet to support life as we know it,” lead author Collin Cherubim said. “This is the first time anyone has found an atmosphere on a rocky planet in the habitable zone of another star.”
Researchers are not yet able to determine what the atmosphere is made of. Earth’s atmosphere is mostly nitrogen, which scientists consider a filler gas. Oxygen is another important element for life on Earth.
Whether the atmosphere could support life remains unknown. However, Cherubim and his team determined that helium is escaping from the exoplanet’s upper atmosphere.
“Twenty years ago, we wondered whether other terrestrial-type planets even existed,” said Robin Wordsworth, a Harvard professor and one of Cherubim’s dissertation advisers. “Then we learned they’re common and found some in the habitable zone. The next question was whether any of them had managed to keep an atmosphere. Now we know at least one has.”
Scientists now hope to use Cherubim’s method for studying exoplanet atmospheres to explore other worlds and search for atmospheres surrounding additional planets.
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