Astronomers have discovered the first confirmed atmosphere around a rocky exoplanet located in the habitable zone of a red dwarf star.The planet, LHS 1140 b, is situated 48 light-years from Earth and has retained its atmosphere for over three billion years.This finding marks a significant breakthrough in the search for potentially habitable worlds beyond our solar system.

The atmosphere was detected through helium escaping into space, a signal that supports theoretical predictions about the planet's atmospheric composition.

The discovery, published in Science, provides the strongest evidence yet that Earth-like planets with rocky compositions and conditions suitable for liquid water may exist elsewhere in the universe.

Researchers used the Warm Infrared Echelle (WINERED) Spectrograph at the Magellan Observatory in Chile to analyze the planet's atmosphere during an event where two planets transited their star simultaneously.

The findings suggest that future ground-based observations could identify more exoplanets with atmospheres, advancing our understanding of planetary habitability and the potential for extraterrestrial life.