A planet that looks like a giant messed up eyeball might be the “perfect candidate” as humanity’s host planet replacement, according to a June study.
Identified by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in 2017, the oh-so catchily named exoplanet LHS-1140b was initially thought to be a “mini-Neptune,” flying through the cool darkness of space, according to Live Science. But the latest findings, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters and on arXiv, suggest the planet may be cooler than cool. It might be ice cold.
Literally. And if so, this could make LHS-1140b capable of supporting life. “Of all currently known temperate exoplanets, LHS-1140b could well be our best bet to one day indirectly confirm liquid water on the surface of an alien world beyond our Solar System,” first author Charles Cadieux said in a statement. “This would be a major milestone in the search for potentially habitable exoplanets.”
Transmission Spectroscopy of the Habitable Zone #Exoplanet LHS 1140 b with JWST/NIRISS: https://t.co/4yzkW2uWRS -> Found with Webb – a potentially habitable world: https://t.co/vMphhFtCkd
— Daniel Fischer @cosmos4u@scicomm.xyz (@cosmos4u) July 10, 2024
The eyeball-looking planet sits around 48 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cetus. It orbits a red dwarf about a fifth of the size of our Sun. (RELATED: ‘Impossible’ Galaxies May Finally Have An Explanation)
LHS-1140b is arguably one of the closest planets to our Solar System that lives within its star’s habitable zone, also known as the “Goldilocks Zone.” Planets within these regions typically host temperatures where liquid water can form. And if you weren’t already aware, humans need water for survival. That is why scientists seem to freaking love this creepy little planet.
Do you think you’d like to go live there? I’d be down, so long as they change the name.
