Aliens most likely to inhabit ‘super-Earth’ exoplanet with all the ‘essential ingredients’ for life: astronomers

Geeks rejoice.

A new study suggests that if extraterrestrial life exists, it’s likely being lived on this exoplanet.

Astronomers have determined that LHS 1140b, located a mere 48 light-years from Earth, is emitting helium, a gaseous signal that suggests the planet has a robust atmosphere capable of sustaining life.

NASA describes the planet, discovered in 2017, as a “rocky world,” with a radius 1.73 times Earth’s and a mass 5.6 times Earth’s. Colorwise, its outer appearance evokes a cross between Mars and Jupiter.

The planet is larger and more massive than Earth and orbits about 10 times closer to its home star than we do to the Sun. B. Gougeon/Université de Montréal

“At this point, we have absolutely no evidence for life on the planet,” lead author Collin Cherubim told the New York Times. “But we think all of the really important, essential ingredients are there.”

For a planet to be considered habitable insofar as we understand habitability, it must be rocky, have an atmosphere, and maintain a sweet spot for liquid water.

So far it would seem that LHS 1140 b ticks all three boxes.

LHS 1140 b is believed to exist in a “Goldilocks Zone” that, similar to Earth, is an ideal distance from its star.

As a result, its temperatures are likely to support liquid water, which estimates indicate could account for 20% of the planet’s mass.

LHS 1140b is currently orbiting a red dwarf star. The planet orbits about 10 times closer to said star than we do to the Sun.

But LHS 1140b’s red dwarf star (named LHS 1140) is tinier and a lot cooler than our Sun. This means that even though this “super-Earth” is orbiting much closer to its star, it’s only receiving about half as much sunlight as we do.

What’s more, the conditions of this red dwarf star are “particularly favorable,” as the star is very dim and no longer emits a ton of radiation, according to the European Southern Observatory.

LHS 1140b is currently orbiting a red dwarf star. NASA

Red dwarfs are considered volatile, and any closely orbiting planets are vulnerable to the star’s solar flares and other combustions, which have the potential to strip a planet of its atmosphere.

An atmosphere is critical to habitability as it helps a planet retain water, regulate the climate, and protect its surface from radiation from space. 

This latest study found that LHS 1140b has a helium-rich atmosphere despite its proximity to the star, indicating that red dwarfs may be less dangerous than previously thought.

Researchers used a theoretical computer model of an exoplanet’s atmospheric evolution to track how lighter elements such as hydrogen and helium would be ejected by the host star’s outbursts.

Applying this modeling to LHS 1140b, it predicted that the planet’s upper atmosphere would be dominated by helium, a green light for the potential to support life.

Experts note that if these theories prove true, LHS 1140b will be the first planet we’ve seen with the potential to sustain life. This could verify that a host of other heavenly bodies possess similar potential, meaning Earth is less of an anomaly than previously believed.

Exoplanets like LHS 1140b are rare; while humans have classified millions of stars, we have identified only 6,316 exoplanets, or planets beyond our solar system.

Among these exoplanets, finding one with an atmosphere is even more unusual.

“When there’s one, there’s more in exoplanets,” said Sara Seager, an astrophysicist at M.I.T. who was not involved in the study. “Hopefully this is the start of something new.”