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TheJames Webb Space Telescope(JWST ) has find that a distant cosmos discovered several years ago could be an " orb " planet with an iris - alike sea surrounded by a sea of solid ice — piddle it a candidate for a potentially inhabitable creation .
The exoplanet , called LHS-1140b , was first discovered in 2017 . ab initio , it was think to be a " mini - Neptune " swirling with a dense mixture of water , methane and ammonium hydroxide . But the new determination , accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters and uncommitted on the preprint serverarXiv , suggest that the planet is icy and bedwetter than scientists call up . That means it could support life .
The exoplanet LHS 1140 b may be completely covered in ice (left) or may be an ice world with a liquid substellar ocean and a cloudy atmosphere (center). The planet is roughly 1.7 times the size of Earth (right).
" Of all presently known temperate exoplanets , LHS-1140b could well be our best bet to one solar day indirectly confirm liquid weewee on the Earth’s surface of analien worldbeyond ourSolar System , " first authorCharles Cadieux , an astrophysicist at the University of Montreal , said in a command . " This would be a major milestone in the hunt for potentially habitable exoplanets . "
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turn up 50 calorie-free - years from Earth , LHS-1140b is roughly 1.73 times wide than our planet and 5.6 times its mass . It is tidally locked to its boniface star . This means it rotate at the same rate as it orbits its whiz , keep its 2,500 - mile ( 4,000 kilometers ) unfreeze optic fixed on the cosmic fire . Bound on a close domain with its ace , one year for the planet is just under 25 Earth mean solar day .
If LHS-1140b ’s star were a principal chronological succession star like the sunshine , an domain of this distance would boil its ocean and make it completely uninhabitable . But because it is a cooler red nanus , this forgetful space identify the satellite right in the eye of the " Goldilocks zone " — the perfect distance from its star for liquid water supply to subsist on the planet .
To examine the exoplanet , the researcher used JWST ’s Near - Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph , which activate the scope to assess the planet ’s contents as light from its principal pass off through the satellite ’s hypothetical atmospheric state to reach Earth .
By look at the wavelength of light absorb , the astronomers discern mark of nitrogen , a key factor in Earth ’s atmosphere . Separate calculation also bring out that the major planet is n’t obtuse enough to be made of rock .
train together , these final result seem to rule out a rocky or a mini - Neptune world in party favor of one encased in an polar ocean .
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While most of the planet could be frozen solid , the researchers take down that the " iris " side could pass 68 degree Fahrenheit ( 20 degree Celsius ) on its open — warm enough to create a habitable pool for maritime lifespan on the frozen world .
" discover an Earth - like atmosphere on a temperate satellite is pushing Webb ’s potentiality to its limit point — it ’s feasible ; we just call for lots of observing time , " co - authorRené Doyon , a physicist at the University of Montreal , state in the assertion . " The current hint of a atomic number 7 - rich air begs for check with more data point . We need at least one more class of observation to confirm that LHS 1140b has an ambiance , and likely two or three more to observe carbon copy dioxide . "
