Astronomers Detect First Atmosphere Around a Rocky Earth-Like Planet in the Habitable Zone

“It’s in the habitable zone, which is super exciting for astrobiology and habitability and searching for life.”

First atmosphere spotted around a rocky planet, LHS 1140 b, sitting in the habitable zone. The catch is what the atmosphere is made of: helium. Helium is inert. It tells you the planet held onto some gas, not that anything is breathing it. The milestone is the detection method working on a small rocky world at all. The life part is still a headline waiting for a biosignature it does not have yet.