Astronomers discover atmospheric depletion on super-Earth and potential second-generation planet

Astronomers are investigating the atmospheric evolution of the super-Earth LHS 1140b, located 49 light-years away. Situated in the habitable zone of a red dwarf star, the planet has a mass approximately 5.6 times that of Earth. Recent research indicates that intense radiation from its host star has caused the evaporation of its upper atmosphere, specifically depleting it of hydrogen and helium.

In a separate discovery, researchers revisiting data from the Hubble Space Telescope have found evidence of a potential second-generation planet orbiting the white dwarf star HS 0209+0832. Unlike first-generation planets like Earth, which form from the original material of a star's birth, second-generation planets form from material expelled by a dying star. This finding was prompted by the detection of an unusual abundance of the element niobium in the system.