Space & Astronomy
James Webb observes potentially habitable 'super-Earth' LHS 1140 b
By
T.K. RandallJuly 10, 2024 ·
16 comments
An artist's impression of LHS 1140 b compared to the Earth. Image Credit: B. Gougeon / University of Montreal
This relatively nearby world, which is a lot larger than our own, is situated approximately 49 light-years away.
Discovered back in 2017, LHS 1140 b remains of considerable interest to astronomers as it has the potential to be a world with the right conditions needed for life as know it to exist there.
The planet orbits a red dwarf star and is thought to be an ocean world, owing to the fact that its mass seems to be much lower than would be expected for a rocky, terrestrial world of its size.
More recently, for the first time, scientists conducted a full spectroscopic analysis by combining data from various telescopes including the James Webb, Hubble and Spitzer telescopes.
The findings suggested that LHS 1140 b might not only be an ocean world, but that it is also potentially home to a thick atmosphere as well - a key indicator that hints at an Earth-like environment.
"This is the first time we have ever seen a hint of an atmosphere on a habitable zone rocky or ice-rich exoplanet," said University of Michigan astronomer Dr Ryan MacDonald.
"LHS 1140 b is one of the best small exoplanets in the habitable zone capable of supporting a thick atmosphere, and we might just have found evidence of air on this world."
While there is still a long way to go before the presence of liquid water, let alone a habitable atmosphere, can be confirmed on LHS 1140 b, it is certainly looking like a promising candidate.
Source:
Mail Online |
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Tags:
Extrasolar, Planet
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