Extraterrestrial

Could this be the most promising candidate for alien life yet found ?

By T.K. Randall
July 17, 2026

Image: Extrasolar Planet
Credit: (PD) NASA Ames/JPL-Caltech For years, scientists have been scouring the cosmos for signs of another Earth-like world - a habitable planet that might be capable of supporting extraterrestrial life.

While many candidate worlds have been found, this latest example - known as LHS 1140 b - is perhaps the most promising so far.

Situated 48 light-years away, the planet is both a terrestrial rocky world and sits within its star's habitable zone - the region in which the temperature is just right for liquid water to exist on a planet's surface.

Most notably, however, LHS 1140 b also appears to have an atmosphere.

"An atmosphere is essential for a planet to support life as we know it," said study lead author Dr Collin Cherubim from Harvard University."This is the first time anyone has found an atmosphere on a rocky planet in the habitable zone of another star."

There are some differences, however, including the fact that this planet is 5.6 times the mass of the Earth and around 1.7 times the diameter.

Even so, if there was ever a place to look for signs of life, this would be it.

So is there life on LHS 1140 b ?

As things stand, we just don't know.

Source: Mail Online

Tags: Extrasolar, Planet