A rocky planet in its star’s ‘habitable zone’ could be the first known to have an atmosphere – here’s what we found

By Hannah Wakeford, Associate professor, University of Bristol
Ryan MacDonald, Lecturer in Extrasolar Planets, University of St Andrews

New research using Nasa’s powerful JWST telescope has identified a planet 41 light years away which may have an atmosphere. The planet is within the “habitable zone”, the region around a star where temperatures make it possible for liquid water to exist on the surface of a rocky world. This is important because water is a key ingredient that supports the existence of life.

If confirmed by further observations, this would be the first rocky, habitable zone planet that’s also known to host an atmosphere.…

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