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With all the scientific advancements in recent years, just finding planets outside our solar system is not challenging. However, finding out what they’re actually like is much more difficult. In a new groundbreaking study, Harvard University researchers report the strongest evidence yet that the rocky exoplanet LHS 1140 b has an atmosphere, making it one of the most interesting planets discovered in the AI era.
The team reached that conclusion by analyzing an incredibly weak signal hidden in telescope observations. They combined multiple observations with detailed computer models to determine that the signal came from helium escaping the planet’s atmosphere, providing what researchers say is the strongest evidence so far that a rocky planet in the habitable zone has retained an atmosphere.
Why does having an atmosphere matter so much? The discovery doesn’t mean LHS 1140 b is habitable or that it contains life. Instead, it gives scientists another reason to keep studying the planet. Future observations could reveal what the atmosphere is made of, whether it contains water vapor or other important gases, and how similar (or different) it is from Earth’s atmosphere. A discovery of this magnitude can go a long way in helping scientists better understand which distant planets are the best candidates for future exploration.
“An atmosphere is essential for a planet to support life as we know it,” said lead author Collin Cherubim, who recently earned his Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Harvard University. “This is the first time anyone has found an atmosphere on a rocky planet in the habitable zone of another star.”
Now let’s get to how they actually did it, and what role did data and AI play in it. After all, detecting an atmosphere around a planet that is 48 light-years away is far from straightforward. The signal researchers were looking for was not just weak, it was also buried within vast amounts of telescope data. The scientists had to go through repeated observations to first extract the data and then use advanced data analysis techniques to distinguish a real atmospheric signature from noise.
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AI wasn’t responsible for making the discovery on its own, but it formed part of the broader computational toolkit. It helped researchers analyze the data and validate their findings.
“Twenty years ago we wondered whether other terrestrial-type planets even existed,” said Robin Wordsworth, Gordon McKay Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering and Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard and one of Cherubim’s dissertation advisors. “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.”
One reason this discovery has attracted so much attention is that LHS 1140 b wasn’t chosen at random. Astronomers have been interested in the planet for years. Ever since it was discovered in 2017, it quickly became one of the most promising rocky planets outside our solar system.
One of the primary reasons for that is that it lies in what astronomers refer to as a habitable zone – the region around a star where the temperature is just right for liquid water to exist on a planet’s surface. Other important factors were its rocky planet, and not a gas giant like Jupiter. It is also close enough to study than many other exoplanets.
Last year, observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) suggested it could even be a water-rich world with a dense atmosphere rather than a bare rocky planet, making it an even more attractive target for follow-up studies.
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The new study takes that work a step further. Instead of simply suggesting an atmosphere might exist, researchers found direct evidence that one does. Interestingly, the team detected helium escaping from the planet during observations in 2024, but the same escaping helium wasn’t seen in observations taken in 2025. Rather than weakening the discovery, researchers say this suggests the atmosphere itself changes over time as it interacts with radiation from the host star.
The researchers also observed another planet in the same system, known as LHS 1140 c. That planet showed no signs of an atmosphere. Seeing two neighboring planets produce completely different results gives scientists another opportunity to understand why some planets manage to keep their atmospheres for billions of years while others lose them.
Having two neighboring planets orbiting the same star gives astronomers a rare opportunity to compare why one appears to have held onto its atmosphere while the other may have lost it.
As astronomers prepare for more detailed observations with the JWST over the next few years, LHS 1140 b will likely serve as a test case for future atmospheric studies. What scientists learn from this planet could shape how they search for and study potentially habitable rocky worlds for years to come.
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