Astronomers and other scientists at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics have recently discovered a rocky exoplanet orbiting a cool red dwarf sun that has an atmosphere and orbits within the “habitable zone”—an orbit in which water can exist as a liquid—essential for life as we know it, reported Wired online magazine.
The planet, known as LHS 1140 b, lies a mere 48 light-years from Earth, was discovered in 2017, but based on data from observations conducted in 2024 and 2025, was emitting helium leaks which were detected by a series of measurements using a spectroscope, which could measure the absorption of different wavelengths of elements, reported Science Org.
While the planet is in the habitable zone and has an atmosphere, this doesn’t prove that life exists on the planet, nor that its atmosphere is similar to that of Earth’s. Although helium has been detected in the upper atmosphere, the lower atmosphere could be a lethal mix of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Further studies need to be carried out to determine if it might have an ocean of liquid water or some other element.
“Twenty years ago we wondered whether other terrestrial-type planets even existed,” Robin Wordsworth, a Harvard professor and one of the study’s authors, says in a press release. “Then we learned they’re common, and found some in the habitable zone. The next question was whether any of them had managed to keep an atmosphere. Now, we know at least one has,” Wired reported.
