Re: Exo-planet in goldilocks zone with detectable atmosphere.

On 13/08/2026 21:57, Daniel wrote:
> Richard Harnden <[email protected]> writes:
> 
>> "Researchers have found the first atmosphere surrounding an
>> Earth-like, rocky planet orbiting within the habitable zone of a
>> distant star."
>>
>> <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy4kdd1e0ejo>
>>
>> Mostly helium.
>>
>> May I be the first to welcome our squeaky-voiced alien overlords.
> 
> Any chance you can paste the article?
> 

Sure ...

First atmosphere found on Earth-like planet in habitable zone of distant 
star

An artist's impression of exoplanet LHS 1140b, a large reddish-brown 
rocky planet filling the foreground, edged with a faint blue-white 
atmospheric glow. In the dark background, a small red star glows 
brightly, with a second, closer planet shown as a tiny black silhouette 
crossing in front of it
IMAGE SOURCE, MELISSA WEISS/CENTER FOR ASTROPHYSICS |HARVARD & SMITHSONIAN
Image caption,
Artwork: The red tinge illustrates an atmosphere around a rocky planet 
orbting a red star

By Pallab Ghosh
Science Correspondent
Published
17 July 2026

Researchers have found the first atmosphere surrounding an Earth-like, 
rocky planet orbiting within the habitable zone of a distant star.
The researchers say that their discovery provides the strongest evidence 
yet that worlds with conditions similar to Earth could exist beyond our 
solar system.

The gas detected in the atmosphere is helium, which would not be able to 
support life, but other gases may also be present.
The lead author, Dr Collin Cherubim of Harvard University, described the 
discovery as "a big deal".

"This is the first time anyone has found an atmosphere on a rocky planet 
in the habitable zone of another star."

The planet, called LHS 1140 b, is 48 light-years from Earth orbiting a 
red star much smaller and cooler than our Sun.
More than 6,000 worlds have been discovered orbiting distant stars. But 
the new discovery is significant because it brings us a step closer to 
one of the biggest prizes in science: the discovery of life on another 
world.

The researchers, writing in the journal Science, external, are clear – 
they have not done that, at least not yet. But for a planet to support 
life it has to have water and for that it has to be the right distance 
from its star: not too close because it will be too hot and not too far, 
because it will be too cold – but somewhere in between where it will be 
"just right".

Planetary scientists call this the "Goldilocks zone", after the fairy 
tale girl who was fussy about the temperature of her porridge.
Hundreds of planets have been found in the Goldilocks zones of their 
respective stars – but only a few dozen are small and rocky – like our 
own Earth – which is another tick for a planet's ability to support life.

But none of those have been found to have an atmosphere.
Until now.

But the only gas discovered in the atmosphere so far is helium, probably 
in the upper atmosphere, which on its own would not support life.
But there may be other, more life-sustaining gases, lower down. Dr David 
Charbonneau, also from Harvard, said that the important thing was the 
discovery of an Earth-like planet outside of our solar system with an 
atmosphere.

"People are generally interested in the big questions: Are we alone? Is 
there life beyond the Earth or beyond our solar system? To that end, 
this study reveals the first atmosphere discovered on a rocky planet in 
the habitable zone of a star outside of our solar system," he said.
LHS 1140b isn't the only world under scrutiny in the search for life. 
K2-18b, a sub-Neptune with a possible water-rich interior, made 
headlines when scientists spotted signs of dimethyl sulphide — a gas 
linked to marine life on Earth.

But a Nasa-led reanalysis in 2025 found the signal too weak to confirm, 
and showed the gas can form without biology.
The seven rocky worlds of TRAPPIST-1 remain tantalising, too: Nasa's 
James Webb Space Telescope ruled out an Earth-like atmosphere on 
TRAPPIST-1d, while TRAPPIST-1e's data stay frustratingly inconclusive.