Study: New Evidence Suggests Earth-like Exoplanet May Hold Liquid Ocean

2024 · VOA Learning English

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1. Researchers say new telescope observations suggest an Earth-like planet outside our solar system may hold a large liquid ocean.

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2. The exoplanet is known as LHS 1140 b. Astronomers believe it sits about 48 light years away from Earth.

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3. A light year is the distance light travels in a year about 9.5 trillion kilometers.

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4. The research led by astronomers at the University of Montreal in Canada shows the possibility the exoplanet might hold the right conditions to support

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5. some form of life. A study explaining the findings recently appeared in The Astrophysical Journal Letters

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6. The study is based on observations collected in December 2023 by the James Webb Space Telescope.

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7. The American space agency NASA operates the orbiting observatory.

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8. Researchers combined the information from the James Webb with existing data to make new estimates for the exoplanet’s mass and size.

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9. These suggest that LHS 1140 b is “a promising super-Earth ice or water world,” the University of Montreal said in a

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10. statement. Some past studies had suggested the exoplanet might be a gas giant, also known as a mini-Neptune.

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11. But the researchers said the new study provides evidence that LHS 1140 b is more likely a super-Earth, a rocky planet bigger than

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12. The new research supports a NASA-led study from October 2023 that suggested at least 17 observed exoplanets could hold oceans

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13. of liquid water. That study noted that sometimes water from these oceans likely breaks through large pieces of ice to form geysers

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14. Scientists had already identified LHS 1140 b as being within its star’s habitable zone.”

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15. Exoplanets found within this zone are believed to have temperatures that would permit water to exist in liquid form.

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16. Measurements made by the James Webb data suggest the exoplanet “is less dense” than expected for a rocky, Earth-like body.

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17. The possibility of a large liquid ocean would be found on the side of the planet always facing the star that it orbits.

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18. The new data collected by the James Webb showed the exoplanet might also have a nitrogen-rich atmosphere.

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19. This differs from earlier research that suggested a possible atmosphere that was mostly hydrogen.

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20. Charles Cadieux is a doctoral student at the University of Montreal’s Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets. He was the lead writer of the study.

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21. Cadieux said in a statement, “Of all currently known temperate exoplanets, LHS 1140 b could well be our best bet to one day indirectly

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22. confirm liquid water on the surface of an alien world beyond our solar system.”

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23. He noted that if the study’s findings can be confirmed, the data would represent “a major milestone in the search for exoplanets that could possibly support

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24. life. René Doyon is a project scientist at the University of Montreal.

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25. He helped lead the research. He said more observations will be needed to confirm the current study’s findings.

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26. “The current hint of a nitrogen-rich atmosphere begs for confirmation with more data,” Doyon said.

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27. He estimated that at least one more year of observations will be needed “to confirm that LHS 1140 b has an atmosphere.”

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28. The process of confirming whether carbon dioxide is present in the atmosphere and liquid water exists on the surface would likely require several years of observations,

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29. Doyon noted. Ryan MacDonald is a NASA Sagan Fellow in the University of Michigan’s Department of Astronomy who helped examine the James Webb data.

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30. He said “This is the first time we have ever seen a hint of an atmosphere on a habitable zone rocky or ice-rich exoplanet.”

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31. With further data collection and investigation, MacDonald noted there is a good possibility “we might just have found evidence of air on this world.”

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