![Models of mass-loss rate, outflow temperature, and H:He ratio for LHS 1140b in 2024. (A) Models of atmospheric mass-loss rate as a function of outflow temperature, 𝑇wind. Color indicates the normalized likelihood calculation, where zero corresponds to the maximum likelihood. Black contours indicate 1𝜎 and 3𝜎 derivations from the maximum likelihood. Data points with 1𝜎 error bars are the best-fitting values from the MCMC analysis of the 2024 spectrum of LHS 1140b, assuming an SED normalized to GJ 699 (black) or GJ 1132 (green). All models assumed the GJ 1132-normalized SED and fixed 𝑣wind the best-fitting value from the MCMC analysis. The dashed gray line shows a theoretical upper limit on the escape rate (see text). The dashed red line shows the theoretical minimum escape rate required to drag atomic oxygen in the outflow. The dashed black and green lines show the energy-limited escape rates calculated with the SEDs normalized by GJ 699 and GJ 1132, respectively. (B) Same as panel A, but as a function of the H:He ratio. Data points with dotted error bars assumed 10 times higher stellar XUV flux. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Helium-escaping.png?resize=1200%2C711&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.EP] Observations of highly irradiated gas giant exoplanets have shown helium escaping from their atmospheres. There is limited evidence for atmospheres on rocky exoplanets, perhaps because they have already escaped.
LHS 1140 b
Posted inHabitable Zones
Detected: Rocky, Habitable-zone Exoplanet With An Atmosphere
[Carnegie Science] A team of scientists led by Harvard University’s Collin Cherubim and including Shreyas Vissapragada and other Carnegie astronomers has detected evidence of an atmosphere on a rocky planet […]
![Vertical profiles of temperature and volume mixing ratios for the species included in our atmospheric model, simulated for TRAPPIST-1 e. The profile behavior follows from the equations and assumptions described in Section 2.2. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Biosignature-Detectability.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology
Biosignature Detectability On Transiting Habitable Worlds With ELT/ANDES
[astro-ph.EP] The search for life beyond the Solar System is at a turning point, transitioning from theoretical predictions to observations enabled by next-generation observatories.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Conferences and Meetings, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report
Rocky Worlds DDT Data Challenge and Data Challenge Workshop
The Rocky Worlds DDT Core Implementation Team (CIT) will soon launch the Rocky Worlds DDT Data Challenge, aimed at engaging the community in the analysis and interpretation of JWST MIRI […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Densities Of Small Planets Around The M dwarfs TOI-4336 A And TOI-4342 With ESPRESSO: Three Sub-Neptunes, One Super-Earth, And A Neptune-mass Candidate
We present the characterization of two planetary systems orbiting the M dwarfs TOI-4336 A (M3.5V) and TOI-4342 (M0V), each hosting two transiting planets previously validated with TESS and ground-based observations.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Rocky Worlds DDT Updates: New Targets, Upcoming Observations, and More
The Rocky worlds DDT Core Implementation Team (CIT) at STScI, along with the external Science Advisory Council (SAC), have been hard at work to make progress on this exciting program, […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Exploring The Habitability And Interior Composition Of Exoplanets Lying Within The Extended Habitable Zone
Studying the habitability, internal structure and composition of exoplanets is crucial for understanding their potential to sustain life beyond our solar system.
Posted inAstrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Potential Interior Structures and Habitability of Super-Earth Exoplanets LHS 1140 b, K2-18 b, TOI-1452 b and TOI-1468 c
We analyze four super-Earth exoplanets, LHS 1140 b, K2-18 b, TOI-1452 b, and TOI-1468 c, which orbit M-dwarf stars in the habitable zone.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report
Modeling the astrosphere of LHS~1140
The cosmic ray (CR) flux, as well as the hydrogen flux into the atmosphere of an exoplanet, can change the composition of the atmosphere. Here, we present the CR and […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1
Novel Physics of Escaping Secondary Atmospheres May Shape the Cosmic Shoreline
Recent James Webb Space Telescope observations of cool, rocky exoplanets reveal a probable lack of thick atmospheres, suggesting prevalent escape of the secondary atmospheres formed after losing primordial hydrogen.