Researchers report the first detection of an atmosphere around an Earth-like rocky planet in the habitable zone: LHS 1140b, a world 48 light-years away orbiting a red star much smaller and cooler than the Sun. The team says this is the first time an atmosphere has been found on a rocky planet in the habitable zone of another star, a discovery lead author Dr Collin Cherubim of Harvard described as "a big deal".
The only gas detected so far is helium, likely confined to the planet's upper atmosphere, which on its own would not support life. The researchers note other gases may be present lower down that could be more conducive to habitability, though they have not claimed detection of such gases.
Dr David Charbonneau of Harvard emphasized the significance for the search for life: the key result is an Earth-like rocky world outside our solar system that demonstrably has an atmosphere. The study is published in the journal Science.
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