Helium Signal Confirms Atmosphere on Earth-Like Exoplanet in Habitable Zone

Astronomers directly detected helium in the atmosphere of the rocky, Earth-like exoplanet LHS 1140 b, making it the first confirmed atmosphere on a rocky world in the habitable zone. Using the WINERED spectrograph on the Magellan telescope, the planet’s transit spectra reveal an atmosphere that could potentially harbor liquid water with greenhouse effects. The 48‑light‑year‑away planet orbits a red dwarf and appears to have retained its atmosphere over billions of years, challenging assumptions about atmospheric loss around active stars. While not a life-detection, the finding marks a major advance in understanding habitability on rocky exoplanets and guides future observations.