A new study of exoplanet LHS 1140 b using the Webb Space Telescope shows that it could potentially be a habitable water world, according to a study published on the preprint server arXiv. At the same time, an Earth-like planet is relatively close to us, reports say Room.
Scientists are now looking for habitable planets outside the solar system. To do this, the planet must be in its star’s habitable zone, that is, an area of space where conditions allow liquid water to exist on the planet’s surface. Until now, researchers believe that water is the most important part of the origin of life.
Although the planet LHS 1140 b, which is 48 light-years away and considered relatively close by cosmic standards, has been studied before, it was only data from the Webb telescope that revealed its surprising features. Still, scientists say their findings still need to be confirmed, but the data does show something surprising.
Astronomers believe it is a rocky planet with an atmosphere and an ocean of liquid water. That is, this world could potentially be suitable for life.
Previous observations of planet LHS 1140 b have suggested that it could be either a mini-Neptune, meaning smaller than Neptune in the solar system, or a super-Earth, meaning a rocky planet larger than Earth. New research shows that this is still the second option. Scientists also believe that the planet, like Earth, has a nitrogen-rich atmosphere.
At the same time, the planet orbits a star that is 5 times smaller than the Sun and is not very active, which means that its radiation should not evaporate the atmosphere and allow liquid water to exist on its surface.
But then the fun begins. Researchers suggest that this planet’s mass could be 10% to 20% liquid water. But that is not everything. Scientists believe this super-Earth is actually covered in water ice, but has an ocean on one side.
This happened because the planet appeared to have only one side facing its star, where the ice had melted. At the same time, according to scientists, the ocean covers only part of the second hemisphere and its diameter is about 4,000 km.
The study authors believe that the ocean water temperature on planet LHS 1140 b could be around 20 degrees Celsius.
But additional observations are needed to confirm the astronomers’ conclusions. If an Earth-like planet exists relatively close to us, with an ocean of water on its surface, that would be an important step forward in the search for habitable worlds.
