LHS 1140 Archives - Astrobiology

In this artist's rendering, the exoplanet LHS 1140 b is shown in the foreground, surrounded by a helium-rich atmosphere. Another nearby rocky planet orbits the same cool red dwarf star in the distance. This new study provides the strongest evidence yet that LHS 1140 b has retained an atmosphere, representing a milestone step toward the discovery of Earth-like rocky planets beyond our Solar System. -- Carnegie Science

Habitable Zones

Detected: Rocky, Habitable-zone Exoplanet With An Atmosphere

by Keith CowingJuly 17, 2026July 17, 2026

[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 […]

Best-fit model for the three light curves extracted using aperture photometry with Eureka!. Outliers beyond 4 σ are clipped. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

Reanalysis Of The Eclipses Of LHS 1140 c: No Evidence Of An Atmosphere And Implications For The Internal Structure Of The Planet

by Keith CowingOctober 24, 2025October 22, 2025

We present the reanalysis of three 15 micron JWST/MIRI secondary eclipses of LHS 1140 c, a warm super-Earth (Rp = 1.272 R⊕) in a 3.78-day orbit around an M4.5 dwarf.

The astrosphere of LHS 1140 compared to the heliosphere (left; e.g., Herbst et al. 2020b) with a zoom-in (right) showing the astrosphere of LHS 1140 in comparison to the Solar system. Shown is the number density in units of cm−3 . Colors are not to scale. -- astro-ph.SR

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report

Modeling the astrosphere of LHS~1140

by Keith CowingDecember 11, 2024December 11, 2024

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 […]

Temperate exoplanet LHS 1140 b may be a world completely covered in ice (left) similar to Jupiter’s moon Europa or may be an ice world with a liquid substellar ocean and a cloudy atmosphere (centre). LHS 1140 b is 1.7 times the size of our planet Earth (right) and is the most promising habitable zone exoplanet yet found in the search for liquid water beyond the Solar System. CREDIT Benoit Gougeon, Université de Montréal

Astropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Webb Telescope Finds A Potentially Habitable Icy World

by Keith CowingJuly 11, 2024July 11, 2024

A international team of astronomers led by Université de Montréal has made an exciting discovery about the temperate exoplanet LHS 1140 b: it could be a promising “super-Earth” covered in […]

This infographic compares the characteristics of three classes of stars in our galaxy: Sunlike stars are classified as G stars; stars less massive and cooler than our Sun are K dwarfs; and even fainter and cooler stars are the reddish M dwarfs. The size of the habitable zone is different for each class of star. In our solar system, the habitable zone begins just beyond the orbit of Venus and almost encompasses Mars. Credits: NASA, ESA and Z. Levy (STScI)

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

Reconnaissance Of Potentially Habitable Worlds With Webb Space Telescope

by Keith CowingJune 5, 2024June 5, 2024

Exoplanets are common in our galaxy, and some even orbit in the so-called habitable zone of their star. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has been busy observing a few of […]

Results of Global Climate Model (GCM) simulations of LHS 1140 b assuming an Earth-like atmosphere (1 bar N2, 400 ppm CO2; panels a, c, d, e) and a thick CO2-dominated atmosphere (5 bar CO2; panels b, f, g, h). Panels a, b: Surface temperature maps of LHS 1140 b. The black line indicates the line of stability between liquid water and sea ice. The extent of the ice-free ocean strongly depends on the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. Panels c, d, e, f, g, and h: Vertical profiles of the atmospheric temperatures, water vapor, and cloud mixing ratios (both H2O and CO2 ice clouds). The solid bold lines indicate the global mean vertical profiles and the dotted lines indicate terminator vertical profiles (impacting transit spectra). -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

New Mass and Radius Constraints On The LHS 1140 Planets — LHS 1140 b Is Either A Temperate Mini-Neptune Or A Water World

by Keith CowingOctober 30, 2023October 30, 2023

LHS 1140 b and c are two small temperate exoplanets transiting a nearby M4.5 dwarf. The planetary system was observed with multiple facilities since its discovery in 2017, including MEarth, […]

Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release

A Second Planet with an Earth-like Composition Orbiting The Nearby M dwarf LHS 1140

by Keith CowingAugust 3, 2018

LHS 1140 is a nearby mid-M dwarf known to host a temperate rocky super-Earth (LHS 1140 b) on a 24.737-day orbit. Based on photometric observations by MEarth and Spitzer as […]