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Boffins find 'super-Earth' with its own atmosphere in major alien hunt breakthrough

Scientists have discovered a rocky 'super-Earth' 48 light-years away wrapped in its own atmosphere, marking a major breakthrough in the hunt for ETs

[Brainy experts from Harvard University have tracked down a giant, rocky 'super-Earth' (Stock image)]

Brainy experts from Harvard University have tracked down a giant, rocky 'super-Earth' (Stock image)(Image: BENOIT GOUGEON, UNIVERSIT DE MONTRAL)

The ultimate cosmic mystery of whether we are alone in the universe may have just been blown wide open. In a staggering space discovery, stargazers believe they have finally located a prime hiding spot for extraterrestrial life.

Brainy experts from Harvard University have tracked down a giant, rocky "super-Earth" located 48 light-years away - and it has the perfect recipe to host alien neighbours.

Named LHS 1140 b, the massive world orbits in its star's "habitable zone," meaning it is at the right distance to potentially support water.

Crucially, experts have confirmed the planet is wrapped in its very own atmosphere in what could be a game-changer in the hunt for ET.

[Conditions could be just right on the planet for alien life to thrive (Stock image)]

Conditions could be just right on the planet for alien life to thrive (Stock image)

Lead author Dr Collin Cherubim said: "An atmosphere is essential for a planet to support life as we know it. This is the first time anyone has found an atmosphere on a rocky planet in the habitable zone of another star."

While space trackers have mapped out thousands of exoplanets over the decades, actually proving they have a protective shield of gases has been an incredibly tough nut to crack.

The enticing new candidate, originally spotted in 2017, is roughly 1.7 times the width of Earth and a whopping 5.6 times its mass. To peer through the cosmic darkness, the Harvard team targeted a cool red dwarf star.

[The Harvard team targeted a cool red dwarf star to examine the planet's composition (Stock image)]

The Harvard team targeted a cool red dwarf star to examine the planet's composition (Stock image)(Image: ESA )

Study coauthor, Dr Shreyas Vissapragada, said: "Red dwarf stars present a good opportunity for this kind of search because they are small and cool, so habitablezone planets orbiting these stars are relatively accessible using the transit method, where we detect tiny, periodic dips in the host star's brightness every time the planet passes in front of it from our point of view.

"However, atmospheric signals from species like water and carbon dioxide usually found in a planet's lower atmosphere are extremely subtle and challenging to detect in these habitablezone planets, even for flagship observatories like the JWST [James Webb Space Telescope].

"So, our team decided on a different approach: to search for helium in the upper atmosphere, where signals can be a bit easier to detect."

The team hit the jackpot using the specialized WINERED Spectrograph at Chile's Magellan Observatory.

By luck, they caught a rare double-transit event where LHS 1140 b and a neighbouring planet crossed in front of their host star on the exact same night.

While the neighbouring planet turned out to be a dead, airless rock, LHS 1140 b was seen surrounded by a glowing halo of escaping helium, proving beyond doubt that it has held onto its atmosphere.

Dr Vissapragada said. "This was clear evidence of an atmosphere on a habitable-zone exoplanet. It was an absolute thrill to see the transit spectra and slowly realise the implications of what we were looking at."

Even more incredibly, scientists calculate this alien shield has managed to survive the harsh radiation of space for more than three billion years.

Astronomers are now gearing up for the next phase of the mission - checking this planetary shield for actual signs of living, breathing alien life.

Robin Wordsworth, an author of the study said: "Twenty years ago we wondered whether other terrestrialtype planets even existed,' said Robin Wordsworth, an author of the study.

"Then we learned they're common, and found some in the habitable zone. The next question was whether any of them had managed to keep an atmosphere. Now we know at least one has."

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