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A reported helium signal from the rocky exoplanet LHS 1140b is evidence that gas may be escaping its atmosphere—not evidence of life. The planet orbits in its star’s habitable zone, so the finding adds to questions about how its atmosphere behaves and whether the world could support life. A 2026 study detected escaping helium in observations from 2024 but not in a 2025 observation.
What did astronomers detect on LHS 1140b?
A preprint by Collin Cherubim and colleagues, posted to arXiv on 15 July 2026, reports near-infrared transit spectra showing absorption from helium escaping LHS 1140b. The authors detected the signal in 2024 observations but not in a 2025 observation, which they interpret as evidence that atmospheric escape varies over time. They also report no helium absorption detection from the smaller, more strongly irradiated companion LHS 1140c in their 2024 data. Read the study on arXiv.
Here, “helium leak” is a shorthand for gas escaping into space. Astronomers do not see helium leaking from the planet like a visible plume; they infer it from the way gas absorbs starlight at particular wavelengths.
How does the helium observation work?
During a transit, a planet passes in front of its star. Some starlight filters through the planet’s atmosphere, where atoms and molecules absorb specific wavelengths. Comparing the starlight spectrum during transit with the spectrum outside transit can reveal those absorption features. NASA’s Hubble explanation of the method describes how each chemical element blocks light at characteristic wavelengths, creating absorption lines.
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For LHS 1140b, the reported helium absorption indicates helium in an extended atmosphere moving away from the planet. The study attributes the 2024 signal to a hydrodynamic outflow heated by the star’s X-ray and extreme-ultraviolet radiation. The authors say they considered stellar activity and contamination from Earth’s atmosphere as alternative explanations and excluded them.
What does the 2025 non-detection mean?
The study’s 2025 result is a non-detection, not proof that the atmosphere stopped losing helium. Weaker absorption could have been present below that observation’s detection limit. The contrast between the 2024 detection and 2025 non-detection is consistent with variable escape, but it does not establish that escape switched off.
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Why does the habitable zone bring life into the discussion?
LHS 1140b is described as a rocky planet in its star’s habitable zone. That label refers to its orbit and the possibility that conditions could permit liquid water. It does not show that the planet has surface water, a suitable climate, or life. Nature’s coverage of LHS 1140b likewise frames the habitability question as an open one.
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The helium observation is not a biosignature detection: it does not identify a biological gas or organism. It is evidence about atmospheric escape, which is relevant to understanding how an atmosphere changes, but it cannot by itself answer whether the planet is inhabited.
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Could life exist in a helium-rich atmosphere?
A separate theoretical preprint by Sara Seager and Janusz J. Petkowski, posted on 16 August 2026, argues that helium-dominated atmospheres could be compatible with life if essential metabolic requirements are available. The authors suggest helium’s chemical inertness might leave potential biosignature gases comparatively unobscured. Read the theoretical study on arXiv.
This is a general argument about possible environments, not a finding that LHS 1140b has a helium-dominated atmosphere or hosts life. The observation of escaping helium does not establish either condition.
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How does this compare with earlier exoplanet helium research?
The first reported helium detection in an exoplanet atmosphere was on the warm gas giant WASP-107b, in a 2018 study by Jessica Spake and colleagues. It identified metastable helium absorption at 10,833 angstroms at 4.5 standard deviations. Those values describe WASP-107b, not LHS 1140b.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →| 2018 WASP-107b result | Reported value |
|---|---|
| Helium detection significance | 4.5 standard deviations |
| Estimated atmospheric loss rate | 1010 to 3 × 1011 grams per second |
| Estimated fraction of total mass lost | 0.1–4% per billion years |
The loss estimates apply to WASP-107b and should not be transferred to LHS 1140b, for which the cited study reports no comparable numerical escape rate. In NASA’s 2018 account, Spake described the observation as demonstrating “a new technique to study upper layers of exoplanet atmospheres in a wider range of planets.” The Nature study and NASA’s Hubble report provide the historical context.
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What can we conclude about life on LHS 1140b?
The evidence supports a limited conclusion: a study reports escaping helium in 2024 observations of LHS 1140b, with no detection in a 2025 observation. That result informs research into the planet’s atmosphere and its escape. It does not provide a probability that life exists there, and it is not direct evidence of life. The possibility of life in helium-rich environments comes from a separate theoretical study, not from a biological detection on this planet.
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