Astronomers analyzing deep infrared transmission spectra from the James Webb Space Telescope have reported the strongest evidence to date of a secondary atmosphere enveloping the temperate exoplanet LHS 1140 b.
Located approximately 48 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cetus, the planet orbits comfortably within the circumstellar habitable zone of a low-activity red dwarf star.
The detection of prominent absorption dips corresponding to carbon dioxide and methane, without corresponding helium or hydrogen envelopes, strongly indicates a differentiated rocky mantle with potential global surface ocean coverage.
