NASA finds ‘potential super-Earth for life’

When scientists first discovered the planet, known as LHS 1140 b, they thought it might be a tiny version of its gaseous neighbor Neptune.

But analysis of the new James Webb observations has strongly ruled out the mini-Neptune scenario, with tantalizing evidence suggesting that the exoplanet LHS 1140b is a “super-Earth” (or super-Earth) planet that may have an atmosphere and possibly even liquid water.

The term “superplanets” is used to describe rocky planets outside the solar system that are much larger than Earth, but are theoretically smaller than gas planets.

Estimates reveal that LHS 1140b is less dense than expected for a rocky planet with an Earth-like composition, suggesting that 10 to 20 percent of its mass may be made up of water.

Scientists say the discovery might make LHS 1140b one of the most promising places to look for alien life.

LHS 1140 b orbits a low-mass red dwarf star called LHS 1140, which is regarding one-fifth the size of our Sun, which is exciting to scientists because they believe the planet might be in the “Goldilocks zone,” where it’s neither too close nor too far from its star, and therefore might have liquid water.

Liquid water is believed to be an essential requirement for life, at least as it exists on Earth.

Through their research, the scientists predict that up to 20% of the mass of the newly discovered world is made up of water. As such, it might look like a giant snowball or ice planet, with a liquid ocean on the part of the planet’s surface that is permanently facing the host star.

“Of all the temperate exoplanets currently known, LHS 1140 b might be our best bet to one day indirectly confirm the presence of liquid water on the surface of an alien world outside our solar system,” said Charles Cadieux, lead author of the new study, from the University of Montreal. “This would be a major milestone in the search for potentially habitable exoplanets.”

But scientists need more time to confirm whether the world actually has an Earth-like atmosphere and liquid water.

Even the James Webb Telescope, which NASA describes as the most powerful telescope yet, with its unprecedented sensitivity, will struggle to see it, but they hope that further work will allow it to pick up a signal that might indicate the presence of carbon dioxide, which might indicate that it is habitable.

“Discovering an Earth-like atmosphere on a temperate planet pushes the capabilities of James Webb to the limit,” said René Doyon, who led the study. “It’s possible, we just need a lot of observing time.”

“The current hint of a nitrogen-rich atmosphere requires confirmation with more data,” he continued. “We need at least another year of observations to confirm that LHS 1140 b has an atmosphere, and it will likely take another two or three years to detect carbon dioxide.”

Source: Independent