{"id":803924,"date":"2026-10-06T07:41:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T12:41:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=803924"},"modified":"2026-10-06T07:41:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T12:41:31","slug":"how-a-helium-leak-in-an-exoplanet-atmosphere-hints-at-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=803924","title":{"rendered":"How a helium leak in an exoplanet atmosphere hints at life"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nArtist\u2019s impression of the newly discovered rocky exoplanet, LHS 1140b. This exoplanet atmosphere is leaking helium. Could it be a sign of alien life? Image via ESO\/ M. Weiss\/CfA.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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LHS 1140b is a potentially rocky exoplanet<\/strong> in its star\u2019s habitable zone. It\u2019s an intriguing target in the search for worlds that could support life.<\/li>\n
Astronomers detected helium escaping from the planet,<\/strong> a possible sign of a long-lasting secondary atmosphere. However, a 2nd observation did not detect helium.<\/li>\n
The finding is tentative,<\/strong> but studying LHS 1140b\u2019s atmosphere could help scientists understand how planetary atmospheres form and evolve. And it could show how to recognize signs of life on other worlds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
By Jon Willis, University of Victoria<\/span><\/p>\n
A helium leak in this exoplanet atmosphere could hint at life<\/h3>\n
This summer, exoplanet science \u2014 the study of planets orbiting stars beyond our sun \u2014 took a big step forward.<\/p>\n
Reports of helium gas escaping from the atmosphere of LHS 1140b propelled this exoplanet from the pages of scientific journals into the mainstream media.<\/p>\n
LHS 1140b orbits a faint red star within the constellation of Cetus \u2014 named after a whale-like sea monster in Greek mythology \u2014 and just next to the easily recognizable \u201cW\u201d of Cassiopeia. But don\u2019t squint \u2014 it appears some 10,000 times fainter than the feeblest star you can see with your unaided eye.<\/p>\n
This exoplanet is of particular interest because it is a potentially rocky world within the habitable zone of the star it orbits. This means it may have a temperature that could allow for liquid water on its surface. <\/p>\n
Just possibly, it could support the existence of life.<\/p>\n
Science news, the night sky and beautiful photos,<\/strong>\u00a0all in one place. Click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter.<\/p>\n
What does the presence of helium mean?<\/h3>\n
Previous observations of LHS 1140b with the James Webb Space Telescope ruled out the existence of a hydrogen-rich atmosphere, a so-called \u201cprimary\u201d atmosphere that is thought to form in step with young planets and is soon lost to space. <\/p>\n
Astronomers think that all rocky planets may possess a primary atmosphere and then lose it shortly after they form. This is a short, transient phase in their story. <\/p>\n
However, the reported observation of helium may indicate a \u201csecondary\u201d atmosphere, thought to be more stable and long-lived. Secondary atmospheres persist around their planets and can be studied by astronomers. <\/p>\n
On planet Earth, our secondary atmosphere has been with us for billions of years. And its chemical balance reflects the combined effects of geology, chemistry and, ultimately, life.<\/p>\n
Super-Earth or mini-Neptune?<\/h3>\n
LHS 1140b orbits a red dwarf star about 1\/5 the mass of our sun but some 300 times fainter. However, as viewed from Earth, the star dims with a regular dip every 24.7 days. <\/p>\n
From the size of the brightness dip, scientists from the team that discovered the planet in 2017 estimated it to be 1.7 times larger than Earth. Subsequent observations indicated the planet to be just over five times bigger than Earth.<\/p>\n
Such super-Earths are among the least massive planets that we can currently detect. And they represent some of the best candidates for detecting life beyond our solar system. But accurately labeling such worlds poses a problem for astronomers. <\/p>\n
In our own solar system, the next biggest planet compared to Earth is Uranus, which is equal to 14 Earths. Then comes Neptune at 17 Earth masses. <\/p>\n
So is LHS 1140b a super-Earth or a mini-Neptune? We have little idea, mainly because we lack examples of such worlds close to home. This blind spot in our knowledge of planetary physics is a pressing one. That\u2019s because sub-Neptunian worlds appear to be the most common type of planet out there.<\/p>\n
A rocky, Earthlike exoplanet with a detectable atmosphere in the habitable zone of even a dim red star would be a major scientific discovery because of the potential for it to host life. However, as with all cutting edge science, the devil is in the details.<\/p>\n\n A contrast-enhanced color picture of Neptune from the NASA Voyager 2 in 1989. Image via NASA\/JPL. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Could LHS 1140b host alien life?<\/h3>\n
Studying the atmospheres of exoplanets is one of the most exciting areas in modern astronomy. Starting 150 years ago, studies of the outer gaseous envelopes of stars \u2014 stellar atmospheres \u2014 kick-started the science we today call astrophysics. <\/p>\n
In a similar manner, studies of the atmospheres of their planets may lead to an answer to the question: Do they host alien life?<\/p>\n
As mentioned, LHS 1140b is of particular interest because it lies within the \u201chabitable zone\u201d of its star. Thus it may have a surface temperature between the 0 C and 100 C (32 and 212 F) and that could allow for the existence of liquid water \u2014 and possible life \u2014 on its surface.<\/p>\n
Care is required with such terms, however. If LHS 1140b absorbs all of the stellar radiation that falls upon it, then it would reach an equilibrium temperature of -30 C (-22 F). That\u2019s seemingly cold but well within the range where the greenhouse effect of a thick atmosphere could warm the planet to more clement temperatures. <\/p>\n
However, if we attempt a more realistic mathematical treatment of the planet, then LHS 1140b might be as cold as -90 C (-130 F). That\u2019s comparable to present-day Mars.<\/p>\n
A tenuous, nuanced result<\/h3>\n
This is only the 2nd time that astronomers have captured even a hint of an atmosphere around a remotely Earthlike planet. The 1st time was around the exoplanet Gliese 1214b.<\/p>\n
Rather like the purported atmosphere itself, the result is tenuous and nuanced. A 2nd observation of the planet within the study did not show the presence of helium. As to why this is, we remain unsure. <\/p>\n
Furthermore, the numbers that underpin the calculations of the surface conditions on LHS1140b involve significant, untested assumptions.<\/p>\n
Yet this is progress, however incremental, toward the goal of atmospheric spectroscopy of potentially habitable worlds. And let us not forget that this single step forward was the result of years of dedicated effort from the science team responsible. For that, they deserve recognition, respect and future funding.<\/p>\n\n A color image of the Earth, showing the Pacific Ocean, from NASA\u2019s Galileo spacecraft in 1990. Image via NASA\/JPL. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Nature will teach us the rules<\/h3>\n
And what of the more lofty goal of detecting life on such worlds from the hints of trace gases in their atmospheres? Which potentially biogenic molecules will offer unambiguous evidence \u2014 the so-called \u201csmoking gun\u201d \u2014 of life? <\/p>\n
Might the answer lie within our own atmosphere, enriched as it is by molecules of oxygen and methane?<\/p>\n
My own answer, and perhaps a frustrating one to those impatient for further discovery, is that we will likely have a much clearer picture once we have observed thousands of exoplanet atmospheres, rather than one or two. We need nature to teach us the rules by which planetary atmospheres work and that work has only just begun.<\/p>\n
But if a journey of a thousand planets starts with a single step, then with these recent observations of LHS 1140b we have just taken our 2nd. The journey is underway.<\/p>\n
Jon Willis, Associate Professor, Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria<\/span><\/p>\n
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.<\/p>\n
Bottom line: A tentative helium detection may offer the first glimpse of this exoplanet atmosphere, but much more evidence is needed to know if LHS 1140b could host life.<\/p>\n
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