#lhs1140b — Public Fediverse posts

RE: https://mastodon.social/@proseandpassion/116935425709917770

Where in #space can #planets with #atmospheres be found? C. Cherubim et al. (2026) used #nearinfraredspectroscopy to characterize a #rocky #exoplanet orbiting its host star within the #habitablezone. Planet #LHS1140b exhibits #helium #absorption in its atmosphere, a feature the authors attribute to a helium-dominated #upperatmosphericlayer.

© #StefanFWirth, July 2026, Berlin

Reference
C. Cherubim et al. (2026)
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aea9708

💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: 🪐🔭 For the first time, astronomers have detected an #atmosphere on a rocky #planet in the habitable zone of another #star.

The super-Earth LHS 1140 b, located 50 light years away, shows signs of a #helium dominated atmosphere escaping into #space. Researchers used the WINERED #spectrograph at Las Campanas Observatory to make the ground-based #discovery.

👉 https://www.sciencealert.com/for-the-first-time-astronomers-have-detected-an-atmosphere-around-a-rocky-planet-in-the-habitable-zone

#astronomy #exoplanet #superearth #habitablezone #spectrograph #lhs1140b #science #reddwarf #harvard