Exoplanet in the Beta Pictoris system, 63 light-years away
Astronomers have detected helium escaping from LHS 1140b, a rocky 'super-Earth' 48 light-years away that orbits in its star's habitable zone. The finding has confirmed an atmosphere around a habitable-zone rocky exoplanet for the first time and has been published in Science; teams used ground-based infrared spectroscopy and modelling.
Astronomers have detected radio waves consistent with a magnetic field on exoplanet Beta Pictoris b, suggesting it is the first confirmed magnetosphere on a planet outside our solar system. The finding, posted online Sept. 15 and not yet peer-reviewed, comes from MeerKAT observations and indicates a planet with a magnetic shield that could help preserve its atmosphere and potentially support life.