Story perspectives

Strongest Atmospheric Evidence: Helium Escape on LHS 1140 b

8/1/2026

Summary

Story summary

Astronomers detected escaping helium from LHS 1140 b, the strongest evidence yet of an atmosphere on a temperate super-Earth.
The Magellan Clay Telescope captured the helium signal during a transit on 23 September 2024.
2025 follow-up observations found no helium, implying atmospheric loss may depend on the host star’s activity.
Researchers will use the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Hubble to search for heavier gases such as water vapor or carbon dioxide.

History

Historical Context

Early catalogues highlighted tiny worlds such as PSR B1257+12 b—about 0.02 Earth masses and 0.34 Earth radii—and Kepler-37b, the smallest confirmed exoplanet. These milestones proved that planets far smaller than Earth could be detected, prompting a shift from merely finding planets to probing their atmospheres, a focus that now guides studies of temperate super-Earths.

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Story summary

Astronomers detected escaping helium from LHS 1140 b, the strongest evidence yet of an atmosphere on a temperate super-Earth.
The Magellan Clay Telescope captured the helium signal during a transit on 23 September 2024.
2025 follow-up observations found no helium, implying atmospheric loss may depend on the host star’s activity.
Researchers will use the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Hubble to search for heavier gases such as water vapor or carbon dioxide.

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