Overview
- The research team led by Collin Cherubim presented a study Friday reporting a helium signature in the upper atmosphere of LHS 1140 b based on ground observations with the WINERED spectrograph.
- The helium feature was seen in 2024 but was not detected in 2025, a discrepancy the authors say could reflect variable atmospheric escape rather than a simple measurement error.
- Observers separated Earth's air from the planet signal with a new data algorithm and took advantage of a close-timed transit by neighboring planet LHS 1140 c to distinguish the spectra.
- LHS 1140 b is a rocky Super‑Earth about 5.6 times Earth's mass and 1.73 times its radius that orbits a red dwarf in the star's habitable zone about 49 light‑years away.
- Team members say confirmation and compositional study are next steps, with plans for repeat ground-based transits and space-telescope observations to determine age, makeup and implications for habitability.