Researchers reported the first confirmed atmosphere on a rocky, habitable-zone planet, LHS 1140 b, in a study published in Science. Lead author Dr Collin Cherubim of Harvard said this is the first time an atmosphere has been found on a rocky planet orbiting in the habitable zone of another star. The team detected helium, likely in the planet's upper atmosphere, which on its own would not support life, though they say other, more life-supporting gases may exist deeper down. LHS 1140 b orbits a red dwarf about 48 light-years from Earth; the authors and Dr David Charbonneau of Harvard framed the result as the strongest evidence yet that Earth-like conditions could exist beyond the solar system. The paper places this discovery alongside other notable targets, noting K2-18b and the TRAPPIST-1 planets remain under active study, and it advances follow-up observations aimed at measuring lower-atmosphere composition and searching for water-bearing gases.
