First Atmosphere Detected Around a Rocky, Habitable-Zone Exoplanet

Astronomers directly detected helium escaping from the atmosphere of LHS 1140b, a rocky exoplanet 48 light-years from Earth orbiting within its star's habitable zone. Announced July 16, 2026, the observation — made with the Magellan Clay telescope in Chile — is the first direct atmospheric detection for any rocky exoplanet. The finding was predicted by a computer model before observation.