That’s A First! Atmosphere Discovered Around A Super-Earth ‘Gliese 1132b’

Astronomers have detected an atmosphere around an Earth-like planet called Gliese 1132b/GJ 1132b, marking the first such discovery of its kind. The super-Earth, which is 1.4 times the size of Earth, is located 39 light-years away in the constellation of Vela.

According to a Los Angeles Times report, Gliese 1132b is highly unlikely to be habitable because it has a surface temperature of about 620 degrees Fahrenheit. However, in spite of the planet not being a habitable world, the discovery is of immense importance because it opens the door to the chances of life existing beyond the Solar System.

Incidentally, the planet was first spotted in 2015; however, at that point, scientists had no clue that it had an atmosphere. The new discovery was submitted and revised very recently on April 6, 2017 in The Astronomical Journal. The new findings unveiled that Gliese 1132b has an atmosphere, which could potentially be rich with methane and water.

Apart from being the first low-mass super-Earth with a detectable atmosphere, Gliese 1132b is also fascinating to astronomers because it circles its star -- a M Dwarf -- quite closely. This implies that M dwarfs, which are abundant throughout the galaxy, are more stable for habitable planets to exist than thought before. Therefore, the new finding broadens the horizon for astronomers to find a life-friendly world.

"What we have shown is that planets around low-mass stars can have atmospheres and because there are so many of those in the Universe, it makes it that much more likely that one might have life,” said lead author of the paper Dr. John Southworth from the U.K.’s Keele University. The launch of NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) later in 2017 and the James Webb Space Telescope in 2018 will allow scientists to know more about the planet.