Atmosphere on another celestial body. The presence of an atmosphere on a rocky planet, only 48 light-years away, in the so-called habitable zone near a parent star, has been discovered for the first time.

The planet is LHS 1140b and is located in an area where the temperatures and environmental conditions may be favorable for the presence of liquid water on its surface, and possibly even the presence of a large ocean.

This planet has been observed for first time in 2017, but it was thought to be gaseous. Only in the last, more detailed study, with continuous data and observations, it has been discovered that it is rocky and, moreover, has an atmosphere, classifying it in the category of so-called Super Earth planets, for the similarities with our planet.

The important study was led by scientist Collin Cherubim of Harvard University and was published in the journal Science.

The planet orbits a red dwarf, a large star. and as heavy as 1/5 of our Sun, so much colder. LHS 1140b has a density compatible with that of the rocky composition and is enriched with a gaseous envelope, i.e. the atmosphere.

To date, astronomers have managed to detect traces of the atmosphere only in gas giants, similar to Jupiter and completely unsuitable for the development of life.

From the data collected in the latest study, it appears that the atmosphere of the planet LHS 1140b contains the element helium, which is dominant.

The authors explain that it is enigmatic how a rocky planet has managed to maintain its atmosphere for at least 3 billion years. This is because its star, which is of the red dwarf category, is known for violent activity, characterized by releases of such energy and light, able to completely strip nearby planets.

But in this case, LHS 1140b is located at a safety distance, which has made it possible for the planet to still have helium from the distant epoch of its formation phase, surviving the radiation. X and ultraviolet of the past. Currently, this planet receives from its star 42% of the energy that Earth receives from the Sun.

The atmosphere is an essential ingredient for life on Earth. Despite the fact that exoplanets, i.e. planets outside our solar system, similar to Earth have been discovered, but no atmosphere has ever been found in any of them.

Science has made tremendous progress, while 20 years ago we had no knowledge of the existence of other planets similar to our Earth. Then it was discovered that they are numerous, but never with an atmosphere, which was observed and confirmed its presence elsewhere in the Universe.

Source: prizrenpost