Atmosphere Detected on Exoplanet LHS 1140b, 48 Light‑Years Away

A team of Harvard University researchers led by Collin Cherubim used the Magellan Clay telescope in Chile to observe the rocky super‑Earth LHS 1140b, located about 48 light‑years from Earth. By detecting a faint helium signature escaping from the planet, they confirmed the presence of an atmosphere – the first definitive evidence of an atmosphere on a rocky planet within a star’s habitable zone. The findings were published in the journal Science. Astrophysicist Eirik Newth described the result as “the first confirmation of something that was previously only theory, that Earth‑like exoplanets also have atmospheres.” The planet orbits a small red dwarf star, has roughly 5.6 times Earth’s mass, and lies in a region where liquid water could exist on its surface. The discovery opens new possibilities for studying the composition and habitability of exoplanetary atmospheres.