Astronomers have confirmed it for the first time the existence of a rocky planet with an atmosphere that also happens to be in what is known as habitable area.
Located 48 light years away, The exoplanet—that is, a planet outside our solar system—may be the most Earth-like object researchers have encountered. If not a twin then definitely a family member.
Researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics were able to detect helium signatures around LHS 1140 b, an exoplanet orbiting a cool red dwarf. The previously identified body has a rock composition and is far enough from its host star to host liquid water on its surface. The team wrote up their findings in a journal Science this week.
The presence of space it is essential for the planet to support life as we know it. On Earth, for example, the atmosphere allows water to remain liquid, rather than boiling or condensing. It also helps maintain a stable climate by regulating the planet’s temperature and reducing the effects of harmful space radiation.
Astronomers searching for habitable planets they usually look for Goldilocks-type situations that might be right for life. LHS 1140 b is the first planet to provide strong evidence that it meets all three requirements for being a rocky body in the habitable interstellar region that also harbors an atmosphere.
The planet was discovered in 2017, and the new findings are based on observations taken in 2024 and 2025. In order to discover the atmosphere from a distance of 48 light years, researchers detected a helium leak coming from the planet. They provide strong evidence that the planet has an atmosphere and, moreover, that this atmosphere has existed for at least 3 billion years. The researchers first discovered the spectral signature of helium and then used physical models to reconstruct how the gas escapes from the atmosphere.
Although the planet is in the habitable zone, that is not proof of life or that its environment is similar to that of Earth. In fact, based on the amount of helium that explodes, researchers suggest that the atmosphere is very different from ours. The top layer, from which the helium is expelled, is only one of the most obvious. In the lower layers, there may be heavy gases such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide, or carbon monoxide.
More importantly, the study confirms the feasibility of the method the team used to detect the environment. Moving forward, scientists will need to observe the planet with more powerful objects to fully characterize its atmosphere and investigate whether has a surface sea or other features consistent with residency.
“Twenty years ago we wondered if other Earth-type planets existed,” Robin Wordsworth, a Harvard professor and one of the study’s authors, says in a press release. “Then we learned they were common, and we found some in the habitable zone. The next question was whether any of them had been able to colonize. Now, we know at least one has.”
This story has appeared before WIRED in Spanish and translated from Spanish.
