All articles tagged with #rocky planet
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.
Astronomers have revised the mass of the nearby exoplanet Gliese 3378 b down to about 2.3 Earth masses, shifting it from the edge of a mini-Neptune into the rocky regime. Its 21.45-day orbit places it in the star’s habitable zone at roughly 25 light-years away, making it a promising candidate for a rocky world; however, the existence of a solid surface or an atmosphere—and thus true habitability—still requires confirmation.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has discovered that TRAPPIST-1 c, a rocky exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf star, does not have a thick carbon dioxide atmosphere, making it unlikely to be a Venus analog. The planet, which has the coolest measured temperature for a rocky exoplanet, might have formed with minimal water content. It either lacks an atmosphere or possesses a very thin one, and further research will investigate temperature variations on the planet and continue studying potential atmospheric conditions.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has measured the heat radiating from TRAPPIST-1 c, an exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf star 40 light-years from Earth. The result suggests that the planet's atmosphere, if it exists at all, is extremely thin. TRAPPIST-1 c is one of seven rocky planets orbiting an ultracool red dwarf star, and the result marks another step in determining whether planets orbiting small red dwarfs like TRAPPIST-1 can sustain atmospheres needed to support life as we know it.
The James Webb Space Telescope has detected water vapor around a rocky exoplanet that orbits a star located 26 light-years away from Earth. Astronomers are trying to determine whether that water vapor is an indicator of what would be the first-known presence of an atmosphere around a rocky exoplanet. The presence of water vapor could suggest that the exoplanet somehow has an atmosphere, despite its heat and proximity to the star. However, astronomers are taking care with their interpretation of the findings because it’s possible that the water vapor is connected to the star itself.