The search for another Earth-like planet has taken a big step forward

Astronomers confirmed For the first time, a rocky planet has been discovered that has an atmosphere and also happens to be located in what is known as… Habitable area.

It is located 48 light-years away Exoplanet— a planet outside our solar system — may be the most Earth-like thing researchers have ever come across. If it’s not a twin then it’s definitely a family member.

Researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics were able to detect helium signatures around LHS 1140 b, an exoplanet orbiting a cool red dwarf. The previously identified body has Rock formation It is far enough from its host star to be able to retain liquid water on its surface. The team documented their findings in the journal sciences this week.

the The presence of the atmosphere Essential for a planet to support life as we know it. On Earth, for example, the atmosphere allows water to remain in a liquid state, rather than boiling or sublimating easily. It also helps maintain a stable climate by regulating the planet’s temperature and reduces the impact of harmful space radiation.

Astronomers Searching for habitable planets Usually look for moderate-type conditions that can be suitable for life. LHS 1140 b is the first exoplanet to provide strong evidence that it meets all three requirements of being a rocky body located in the habitable zone around a star and also retaining an atmosphere.

The planet was discovered in 2017, and the new results are based on observations made in 2024 and 2025. To detect an atmosphere 48 light-years away, researchers identified helium leaks emanating from the planet. They provide strong evidence that the planet has an atmosphere, and furthermore that this atmosphere has been around for at least 3 billion years. The researchers first discovered the spectral signature of helium, then used physical models to reconstruct how this gas escapes from the atmosphere.

While the planet is in a habitable zone, this is not evidence that life exists or that its environment is similar to Earth’s. In fact, based on the amount of helium escaping, researchers suggest the atmosphere is very different from our own. The top layer, from which helium is expelled, is only the most visible layer. In the lower layers there can be heavy gases such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide.

More importantly, the study confirms the feasibility of the technique the team used to detect the atmosphere. Going forward, scientists will need to monitor the planet with more powerful instruments to fully characterize its atmosphere and investigate whether or not It has shallow oceans or other features compatible with habitability.

“Twenty years ago, we wondered whether there were other terrestrial-type planets,” Robin Wordsworth, a Harvard professor and one of the study’s authors, says in a press release. “Then we learned they were common, and we found some in the habitable zone. The next question was whether any of them had managed to maintain an atmosphere. Now, we know that at least one did.”

This story originally appeared on WIRED in Spanish It was translated from Spanish.