Episode 387

Two big interstellar discoveries have hit the headlines. One is the discovery of the first atmosphere ever found on a small, rocky exoplanet that could host alien life.

The planet LHS 1140b is about 50 light years from Earth and sits in the “Goldlocks” zone, meaning it’s close enough to its star to be habitable. So what do we know about its atmosphere – and could it be just like Earth?

The second story is of sugar molecules discovered in interstellar space for the first time – detected in a cosmic cloud nearly 27 light years away. Researchers believe this sugar could have formed before the solar system itself.

Find out more with Senior Editor Chelsea Whyte and Space Reporter Leah Crane.

To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/

Image credits:

Chester Harman, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

ESO/spaceengine.org, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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