Tag

Habitable Zone

All articles tagged with #habitable zone

space16 hours ago•6 min saved

Red Dwarfs: The Galaxy's Quiet, Long-Lived Stars

Red dwarfs are the longest‑lived stars—potentially around 10 trillion years—thanks to slow hydrogen fusion and a convective interior that reuses fuel; they make up about three‑quarters of stars, including nearby Proxima Centauri, which hosts Earthlike Proxima b. While such systems could harbor habitable worlds, tidal locking and stellar flares complicate life, though a distant greenhouse effect could help; in any case, red dwarfs will dominate the galaxy’s stellar population long after larger stars fade.

via Defector|

#alpha-centauri #exoplanets #habitable-zone

science4 days ago•3 min saved

Earth Likely a Routine Outcome of Planetary Formation, New Simulations Suggest

New origins-conference simulations by Nader Haghighipour use thousands of randomized starting conditions to model terrestrial planet formation, showing Earth at 1 AU often emerges naturally, with Venus and Mars appearing in plausible configurations. The results, produced much faster than past runs, reinforce that Earth is not a fluke and that habitable planets may be common around Sun-like stars.

via Universe Today|

#earth #habitable-zone #planetary-formation

space9 days ago•9 min saved

Possible Saturn-mass planet near Alpha Centauri A remains unconfirmed despite Webb hints

The James Webb Space Telescope briefly detected a faint source near Alpha Centauri A in 2024 (S1) that could be a Saturn-mass planet in the system’s habitable zone, but follow-up observations in 2025 found no comparable signal. Two 2025 papers combine imaging tests with millions of orbital simulations and conclude a real planet remains plausible, though not proven: if real, it would be a gas giant ~90–150 Earth masses orbiting around 1–2 AU with a high eccentricity, and could have slipped behind Webb’s coronagraphic blind spots between observations. Confirmation will require a future recovery of the signal or independent measurements; for now the evidence is intriguing but not conclusive.

via spacedaily.com|

#alpha-centauri-a #exoplanet #gas-giant

space17 days ago•11 min saved

Two nearby red-dwarf habitable-zone planets raise questions about habitability

Two habitable-zone exoplanets are confirmed within 11 light-years: Proxima Centauri b (4.24 ly) and GJ 887 d (10.7 ly). Proxima b, the nearest known world, orbits Proxima Centauri every 11.2 days at about 0.049 AU; GJ 887 d, confirmed in 2026 after adding 101 HARPS observations and 12 ESPRESSO measurements and accounting for stellar activity, completes a 50.77‑day orbit at 0.212 AU with a minimum mass near 1.1 Earth masses and about 81% of Earth's insolation. Both lie in their stars’ habitable zones, but neither is known to have an atmosphere, ocean, or life, and neither transits, making atmospheric characterization difficult. Proxima b’s environment may be affected by the star’s flares, and red-dwarf planets may be tidally locked; proximity helps future studies but does not guarantee habitability.

via Space Daily|

#exoplanets #gj-887-d #habitable-zone

space19 days ago•12 min saved

Helium leak confirms atmosphere on first rocky world in a habitable zone

Astronomers detected a helium signal escaping from LHS 1140 b duringtransits, providing the first atmospheric confirmation for a rocky planet in a star’s habitable zone and placing it 48 light-years away in Cetus. The finding shows an atmosphere exists, but leaves questions about its composition, pressure and surface conditions. The observation used the Magellan telescope in 2024, with a recheck in 2025 that yielded a non-detection, suggesting the escape can vary with the star’s high-energy output; further repeated helium detections and Webb observations are planned to probe the planet’s gases and potential habitability.

via Space Daily|

#atmosphere #exoplanets #habitable-zone

space25 days ago•200 min saved

Rocky World LHS 1140b Might Harbor an Atmosphere, Scientists Say

Scientists report promising signs that the rocky exoplanet LHS 1140b, about 49 light-years away in its star’s habitable zone, could have an atmosphere after detecting helium during a transit, a hint that it may have lost its hydrogen but retained helium and possibly other gases. If confirmed, this would make LHS 1140b the first known rocky planet in a habitable zone with an atmosphere, a major step for habitability studies. However, a 2025 follow-up failed to re-detect helium, so further observations with JWST and Hubble are planned to confirm the signal and search for other atmospheric components such as water.

via CNN|

#atmosphere #exoplanets #habitable-zone

astronomy1 month ago•8 min saved

Helium Clue Reveals Atmosphere on Earth-Like Exoplanet in Habitable Zone

Astronomers have found the strongest evidence yet that the rocky exoplanet LHS 1140 b, orbiting a red dwarf in its habitable zone, retains an atmosphere, inferred from helium escaping from the planet and detected with ground-based spectroscopy; the result suggests Earth-like worlds can maintain atmospheres for billions of years and opens new avenues to study their habitability.

via SciTechDaily|

#astronomy #atmosphere #exoplanets

space1 month ago•11 min saved

Nearby quiet red dwarf hides the second-closest habitable-zone planet

In 2026, astronomers confirmed GJ 887 d, a planet in the habitable zone of the nearby red dwarf GJ 887 (about 10.7 light-years away), orbiting every 50.77 days with a minimum mass around six Earths, making it the second-closest such world after Proxima Centauri b. The detection, based on 277 HARPS radial-velocity measurements plus ESPRESSO data and Gaussian-process modeling to separate stellar activity, provides strong evidence for a real planet rather than stellar noise, though the planet does not transit, so its radius and atmosphere are unknown. Its equilibrium temperature is ~241 K, and it receives ~81% of Earth’s insolation. While GJ 887 is relatively magnetically quiet for a red dwarf, flares can occur; future direct-imaging efforts with missions like Habitable Worlds Observatory or LIFE could probe the planet, but current data只能 constrain mass and orbit. The system likely hosts at least four planets, with a fifth signal still unconfirmed.

via Space Daily|

#gj-887-d #habitable-zone #harps-espresso

space1 month ago•5 min saved

Helium Signals Long-Lived Atmosphere on Rocky Exoplanet in Habitable Zone

Astronomers detected a helium escape signal from LHS 1140 b, a rocky planet in its star’s habitable zone about 48 light-years away, confirming it retains an atmosphere that may have persisted for billions of years and making it a prime target for studying Earth-like atmospheres from the ground.

via ScienceDaily|

#atmosphere #exoplanet #habitable-zone

science1 month ago•52 min saved

Rocky exoplanet in habitable zone shows it can hold onto an atmosphere

Astronomers detected helium escaping from LHS 1140 b, a rocky super‑Earth in the habitable zone of a cool red dwarf about 48 light‑years away, marking the strongest evidence yet of an atmosphere on a rocky world outside our solar system. Using the WINERED spectrograph during a transit, they observed a helium absorption signal for LHS 1140 b (but not for its closer neighbor LHS 1140 c), implying a retained upper atmosphere despite stellar radiation. The finding, published in Science, suggests some rocky planets around red dwarfs can hang onto atmospheres for billions of years, though it does not confirm habitability or the full atmospheric composition; future observations will seek other gases and features like oceans to assess potential habitability.

via Yahoo|

#atmosphere #exoplanet #habitable-zone

space1 month ago•105 min saved

Helium clues reveal atmosphere on rocky exoplanet in the habitable zone

Astronomers detected helium escaping from the rocky exoplanet LHS 1140 b, providing the strongest evidence yet that a terrestrial world in another star’s habitable zone can retain an atmosphere. The signal was observed as the planet transited its star using the WINERED spectrograph, indicating a thin upper atmosphere and enabling atmospheric study of potentially habitable worlds, though it does not prove habitability. Future observations will aim to characterize the rest of the atmosphere and investigate whether oceans or other life-friendly features might exist on LHS 1140 b.

via Live Science|

#atmosphere #exoplanets #habitable-zone

science1 month ago•46 min saved

Atmosphere detected around rocky exoplanet in star's habitable zone

Researchers have detected helium in the upper atmosphere of LHS 1140 b, a rocky planet about 48 light-years away in the habitable zone of a red dwarf, marking the first confirmed atmosphere around an Earth-like world outside our solar system; while helium alone wouldn’t support life, the finding shows such planets can retain atmospheres and may host other gases deeper down, bringing us a step closer to identifying habitable worlds.

via Yahoo|

#atmosphere #exoplanet #habitable-zone

space1 month ago•11 min saved

Rocky habitable-zone world reveals an atmosphere for the first time

Astronomers detected helium escaping from the rocky super-Earth LHS 1140 b, the first rocky planet in its star’s habitable zone to show an atmosphere, suggesting a long-lived atmospheric reservoir despite radiation from its relatively quiet M-dwarf host. The planet is about 1.73 Earth radii and 5.6 Earth masses, transits every 24.7 days, and the helium signal was observed with the WINERED spectrograph on the Magellan telescope in 2024 (with a partial repeat in 2025). This points to atmospheric escape from the upper atmosphere, while the exact lower-atmosphere composition and surface conditions (including liquid water) remain uncertain. Future observations with Hubble and Webb could reveal heavier gases like nitrogen, CO2, or water vapor. No evidence of life is claimed; the result marks a major step toward testing atmospheric retention on rocky planets around red dwarfs.

via Space Daily|

#atmosphere #exoplanets #habitable-zone

space1 month ago•3 min saved

Helium Atmosphere Detected on Earth-like Exoplanet in Habitable Zone

Astronomers report the first detection of an atmosphere on a rocky, Earth-like exoplanet in the habitable zone of a distant star: LHS 1140 b, located 48 light-years away. The gas confirmed so far is helium, likely in the upper atmosphere, with the possibility of other gases deeper down. While not evidence of life, the find marks a major step toward assessing whether Earth-like worlds could host life beyond our solar system.

via BBC|

#atmosphere #exoplanets #habitable-zone

science-space1 month ago•5 min saved

Helium escapes hint at atmosphere on rocky world in habitable zone

Astronomers observing LHS 1140b, a rocky planet in its star’s habitable zone, detected helium escaping from its outer atmosphere, suggesting it has a helium-rich atmosphere and may host conditions suitable for life; the inner atmospheric composition and actual presence of water aren’t confirmed, and findings require replication with future observations.

via Nature|

#atmosphere #exoplanets #habitable-zone