Using the James Webb Space Telescope, American astronomers from the University of Michigan (UMICH) discovered the exoplanet LHS 1140 b, which appears to have a large liquid water ocean. This was announced officially Web site scientific institution.
LHS 1140 b is located 46 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cetus, which is relatively close by cosmic standards. It orbits a red dwarf star that is five times smaller than the Sun. Scientists have discovered that Earth lies in the so-called habitable zone, a space where temperatures allow liquid water to exist.
According to preliminary data, the planet has a nitrogen-rich atmosphere, making it similar to Earth, and 10-20% of its mass is liquid water.
It turns out that one side of the planet always faces the star as it rotates, in which case it could contain a body of water half the size of the Atlantic Ocean.
“According to current models, if LHS 1140 b has an atmosphere similar to Earth, it would be a snow planet with a giant ocean about 4,000 kilometers in diameter and a water temperature of about 20°C,” the team said in a statement.
Earlier scientists to create a “hellish” planet with rain of liquid glass and an atmosphere of hydrogen sulfide.