Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Space
  3. News

Hubble space telescope finds water vapor on ‘Super-Earth’ exoplanet

By
NASA Discovers K2-18b Exoplanet
NASA

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has discovered water vapor in the atmosphere of a distant Earth-like exoplanet known as K2-18b.

The planet is located about 110 light-years away in the Leo constellation, according to a press release from NASA about the exoplanet. NASA says K2-18b resides in a “habitable zone,” which is “the region around a star in which liquid water could potentially pool on the surface of a rocky planet.”

Recommended Videos

The readings from the Hubble Space Telescope also suggest that hydrogen and helium could be present in the atmosphere of the exoplanet. 

Related

While the exoplanet is greater in size and has more gravity and radiation than Earth, NASA said it’s the only exoplanet they have found so far to have water in its atmosphere as well as temperatures that could support life and sustain liquid water on a rocky surface. Basically, the planet might be habitable.

Hubble Finds Water Vapor On Distant Exoplanet

K2-18b was first discovered in 2015 and is one of the hundreds of what NASA calls “Super-Earths.” NASA said that its planet-hunting satellite, known as TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), is expected to find hundreds more of these Super-Earths in the next few years.

TESS found its first exoplanet back in March with the discovery of the planet TOI 197.01. The planet is about the size of Saturn but is located much closer to its star than we are to the Sun, meaning it has very high surface temperatures. 

Other important exoplanet discoveries include DS Tuc Ab, which was identified by TESS in July. Astronauts are currently studying the exoplanet to understand more about how planets grow and develop. There’s also a big focus on habitability — which planets could (theoretically) support human life.

Overall, TESS has been able to discover more than 20 different planets during its first year of observations, including a number of planets that are unlike the ones found here in our solar system.

NASA has confirmed the existence of more than 4,000 planets outside our solar system. The sheer number of that is impressive, but even more so if you take into consideration that before 1992, we couldn’t find any exoplanets. 

Digital Trends reached out to NASA for further information on K2-18b and its significance in space research, and will update this story if we hear back.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Allison Matyus
Allison Matyus
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Allison Matyus is a general news reporter at Digital Trends. She covers any and all tech news, including issues around social…
Astronomers discover Earth-sized exoplanet covered in volcanoes
Exoplanet LP 791-18 d, illustrated in this artist’s concept, is an Earth-size world about 90 light-years away. A more massive planet in the system, shown as a small blue dot on the right, exerts a gravitational tug that may result in internal heating and volcanic eruptions, like on Jupiter’s moon Io.

Astronomers have discovered an Earth-sized planet that is highly volcanically active -- an unusual finding that means it could possibly support life. The newly discovered planet, LP 791-18d, is thought to be covered in volcanoes and could be as active as Jupiter's moon Io, which is the most volcanically active body in our solar system.

Exoplanet LP 791-18 d, shown in this artist’s concept, is an Earth-size world about 90 light-years away. A more massive planet in the system, shown as a small blue dot on the right, exerts a gravitational tug on the exoplanet that may result in internal heating and volcanic eruptions, like on Jupiter’s moon Io. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith (KRBwyle)

Read more
James Webb telescope gets a view of the ‘white whale’ of exoplanet research
This artist’s concept depicts the planet GJ 1214 b, a “mini-Neptune” with what is likely a steamy, hazy atmosphere. A new study based on observations by NASA’s Webb telescope provides insight into this type of planet, the most common in the galaxy.

Studying other planets is difficult not only because they are so far away, but also because they can have properties that make taking readings much harder. Here in our solar system, we only have scant information about the surface of Venus because its thick atmosphere makes it hard to view. Being 50 light-years away, the planet GJ 1214 b has proved similarly tricky, defying 15 years of attempted observations due to its hazy nature.

But now, the James Webb Space Telescope has been able to peer into the planet's atmosphere for the first time, revealing the secrets of this mysterious place. It's known as a mini-Neptune because it has a thick atmosphere and layers of ice like Neptune. Only around three times the diameter of the Earth, the planet likely has lots of water, but it is located in the atmosphere, not on the surface, due to its high surface temperature.

Read more
James Webb detects water vapor in rocky planet’s atmosphere — maybe
This artist concept represents the rocky exoplanet GJ 486 b, which orbits a red dwarf star that is only 26 light-years away in the constellation Virgo. By observing GJ 486 b transit in front of its star, astronomers sought signs of an atmosphere. They detected hints of water vapor. However, they caution that while this might be a sign of a planetary atmosphere, the water could be on the star itself – specifically, in cool starspots – and not from the planet at all.

The hunt for habitable exoplanets is on, and with the James Webb Space Telescope, we finally have a tool that can not only detect the presence of a planet in another star system, but can also look at the composition of its atmosphere. That ability will eventually allow us to find Earth-like planets wthat are good candidates for searching for life, but measuring the atmosphere of something so far away isn't an easy matter.

Webb recently saw exciting signs in the form of water vapor detected in the vicinity of the exoplanet GJ 486 b. That could indicate the presence of water in its atmosphere, but it could also be from another source: the outer layer of the planet's host star. Researchers are working through the data and hope to use another of Webb's instruments to make the final call.

Read more