Sažetak: Egzoplaneta LHS 1140b, udaljena oko 48 svetlosnih godina, nalazi se u nastanjivoj zoni svog crvenog patuljka i sada je potvrđeno da poseduje atmosferu. Posmatranja teleskopom u Čileu pokazala su pobegli helijum tokom tranzita, što ukazuje na prisustvo atmosfere koja je opstala milijardama godina. Nalaz, objavljen 16. jula u časopisu Science, predstavlja značajan korak u potrazi za planetama koje bi mogle podržati život, ali su potrebna dalja ispitivanja sastava atmosfere i traganje za okeanima.
Može Li LHS 1140b Podržati Život? Naučnici Otkrili Atmosferu Na Zemlji Sličnom Egzoplanetu
This is a section from a larger image the Vera C. Rubin Observatory captured referred to as the "ocean of stars." The view shows millions of multi-colored stars against a backdrop of galaxies close to the Milky Way’s plane, the crowded disk of the galaxy.(NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA)
Astronomi su potvrdili da stjenoviti egzoplanet LHS 1140b — udaljen oko 48 svetlosnih godina — ne samo da kruži u nastanjivoj zoni svog crvenog patuljka, već i zadržava atmosferu. Otkriće predstavlja značajan korak u potrazi za svetovima koji bi mogli imati uslove podobne za život.
Šta je otkriveno
Istraživači su tokom retkog poravnanja dve planete u sistemu posmatrali LHS 1140b teleskopom na Zemlji u Čileu i detektovali znakove pobeglog helijuma. Taj signal ukazuje na prisustvo atmosfere koja podseća na zaštitni omotač sličan onom koji ima i Zemlja, odnosno na gasni omotač koji je opstao milijardama godina.
Zašto je to važno
Atmosfera pomaže u regulaciji temperature, može štititi površinu od štetnog zračenja i biti ključan faktor za održavanje tečne vode — jednog od ključnih preduslova za život kakav poznajemo. Dosad je primećeno mnogo egzoplaneta u takozvanim "Goldilocks" ili nastanjivim zonama, ali ovo je prvi put da je planeta u toj zoni potvrđeno da zadržava atmosferu.
"Atmosfera je neophodna da bi planeta podržala život kakav poznajemo," rekao je Collin Cherubim, vodeći autor studije i naučnik za Zemlju i planete na Harvard University.
Kako su došli do dokaza
Tim je posmatrao spektralne tragove tokom tranzita (kad planeta prolazi ispred zvezde) i u tim podacima uočio karakteristične linije helijuma koje ukazuju na to da gas polako napušta planetu. To potvrđuje prisustvo atmosfere, ali ne govori nam još o njenom kompletnom sastavu.
Šta ovo ne dokazuje — i sledeći koraci
Važno je naglasiti da sama atmosfera ne znači da je na planeti život. Sastav atmosfere, prisustvo tečne vode, temperatura površine i drugi faktori su presudni. Istraživači planiraju dalja posmatranja kako bi odredili tačan sastav atmosfere i potražili znakove okeana ili eventualnih biosignatura. Takva posmatranja mogu uključivati i svemirske i buduće velike zemaljske teleskope.
Rezultati su objavljeni 16. jula u časopisu Science. Broj potvrđenih egzoplaneta zaključno sa julom 2026. iznosi 6.324, uz preko 8.000 dodatnih kandidata koji čekaju potvrdu.
Zaključak: Otkriće atmosfere oko LHS 1140b je važna prekretnica u potrazi za nastanjivim svetovima, ali su potrebna dodatna, detaljna posmatranja pre nego što se može govoriti o stvarnoj pogodnosti za život.
Izvor: USA TODAY (autor: Eric Lagatta). Rad tima objavljen u časopisu Science.
A field of stars in the constellation Lupus showcases the unprecedented view of the universe that the Vera C. Rubin Observatory provides. Rubin combines a wide view of the sky with the ability to detect extremely faint objects, revealing details of the cosmos across an enormous range of scales.(NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA)
This map represents how much sky the Rubin Observatory can map in one week, with he color of the tile representing the filter used for each exposure as the Observatory rapidly builds a multicolor map of the universe.(NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA)
A model of the Solar System showing the roughly 380 trans-Neptunian objects (objects orbiting beyond Neptune) discovered using observations taken during Rubin’s early optimization surveys in summer 2025.(NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/R. Proctor)
A model of the inner Solar System showing the asteroids discovered by Rubin in light teal. Known asteroids are dark blue. The model shows almost 12,700 asteroids that were discovered with Rubin over the span of a year and a half.(NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/R. Proctor)
This image shows comet 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object ever discovered, on June 21, 2025 — ten days before its official discovery was announced.(NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA; Image Processing: C. Chandler (University of Washington), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF NOIRLab))
In this photo captured in February 2026, the Rubin Observatory observes the Chilean night sky above Cerro Pachón beneath the dazzling view of our home galaxy, the Milky Way.(NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/P. Lago)
This is a section from a larger image the Vera C. Rubin Observatory captured referred to as the "ocean of stars." The view shows millions of multi-colored stars against a backdrop of galaxies close to the Milky Way’s plane, the crowded disk of the galaxy.(NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA)
This is a section from a larger image the Vera C. Rubin Observatory captured referred to as the "ocean of stars." The view shows millions of multi-colored stars against a backdrop of galaxies close to the Milky Way’s plane, the crowded disk of the galaxy.(NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA)
This is a section from a larger image the Vera C. Rubin Observatory captured referred to as the "ocean of stars." The view shows millions of multi-colored stars against a backdrop of galaxies close to the Milky Way’s plane, the crowded disk of the galaxy.(NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA)
The open star cluster Messier 21 as imaged by NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. Located near the Trifid Nebula, Messier 21 is relatively young and tightly packed with small, dim stars.(RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/NSF/DOE/AURA)
Globular cluster NGC 6544 as imaged by NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. This tightly packed globular cluster is home to tens of thousands of stars.(RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/NSF/DOE/AURA)
Scientists have found thousands of exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) throughout the galaxy. Most can be studied only indirectly, but scientists know they vary widely, as depicted in this artist’s concept, from small, rocky worlds and gas giants to water-rich planets and those as hot as stars.
In this artist’s concept, the exoplanet LHS 1140 b is shown in the foreground, surrounded by a helium-rich atmosphere. Another nearby rocky planet orbits the same cool red dwarf star in the distance. A new study provides the strongest evidence yet that LHS 1140 b has retained an atmosphere, representing a milestone step toward the discovery of Earth-like rocky planets beyond our solar system.
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