Discovery! Atmosphere Spotted on Nearly Earth-Size Exoplanet in First
By Sarah Lewin, Space.com Staff Writer | April 7, 2017 11:04am ET
For the first time, scientists have detected an atmosphere around a planet beyond our solar system that's just a little bit larger than Earth.
The exoplanet GJ 1132b, which orbits the dwarf star GJ 1132, is located about 39 light-years away from Earth. It has a radius about 1.4 times that of Earth and is 1.6 times Earth's mass, according to the new study. When the planet was first discovered, researchers called it a potential Venus twin because it's a rocky world with a very high surface temperature — and now, they've found that the planet and Venus might have a thick atmosphere in common, too (although it would have a different composition).
http://www.livescience.com/58590-atmosphere-found-on-nearly-earth-size-planet.html
