Researchers announced the discovery on Monday that an exoplanet, K2-18 b, over eight times the size of Earth has the potential to have a hydrogen-rich atmosphere with an ocean-covered surface, according to NASA.
The first insights into the exoplanet K2-18 b, came back in 2019 when astronomers made an important step toward the goal of finding an exoplanet with an atmosphere like Earth’s. K2-18 b orbits the cool dwarf star K2-18 in the habitable zone. It is 8.6 times bigger than our planet and it lies 120 light-years from Earth in the Leo constellation, according to NASA. Researchers examined the exoplanet with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.
Astronomers led by the University of Cambridge found methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of the exoplanet.
“The discovery provides a glimpse into a planet unlike anything…
