STUDY: No Atmosphere Found At Faraway Earth-Sized World
March 27, 2023 9:40AM PDT
Credit: MGN
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The Webb Space Telescope has found no evidence of an atmosphere at one of the seven rocky, Earth-sized planets orbiting a nearby star.
Scientists say that doesn’t bode well for the rest of the planets in this solar system, some of which are in the sweet spot for harboring water and potentially life.
In a study published Monday, a NASA-led team reported little if no atmosphere exists at the innermost planet in the Trappist system, 40 light-years away.
Researchers say the lack of an atmosphere would mean no water and no protection from cosmic rays. More observations are planned.
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