Could Life Exist on This Nearby World? In a First, Astronomers Find an Atmosphere on an Earth-Like Exoplanet in the Habitable Zone
Reported bySmithsonian Smart News ↗·Sourced by Goodlede
Astronomers reported in Science (July 16) the first observationally confirmed atmosphere on a rocky exoplanet in the habitable zone: LHS 1140 b, 49 light-years away, which is 1.7 times Earth's radius, orbits in its star's habitable zone, and shows signs of an atmosphere that could regulate climate and protect against cosmic radiation.
No evidence of life has been detected; the presence of an atmosphere is necessary but not sufficient for habitability.
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