We've seen helium baked off a rocky exoplanet's atmosphere
Astronomers have observed helium escaping from the atmosphere of a rocky exoplanet orbiting the red dwarf star LHS 1140. This discovery helps scientists understand how planetary atmospheres evolve and lose lighter elements over time.
Why it matters
Studying atmospheric loss on exoplanets is crucial for determining the habitability of distant worlds and understanding the formation of planetary atmospheres.
Up in the air We’ve seen helium baked off a rocky exoplanet’s atmosphere If the large, rocky planet is losing helium, then we can infer what is left behind.
2 Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle (SSC) Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav Most of the gas in the Universe is a mixture of hydrogen and helium. It’s thought that the initial atmospheres of most planets also start out that way. However, over billions of years, as planets evolve, the composition of their atmospheres may shift. Hydrogen can react with other chemicals, and both it and helium can be lost to space. Venus, Earth, and Mars are thought to have second atmospheres, with their original hydrogen/helium envelopes having been lost and/or transformed.
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