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No atmosphere found on distant Earth-sized planet

Lack of an atmosphere would mean no water and no protection from cosmic rays

exoplanet-space-shut (For representation)

In a recent study using the Webb Space Telescope, scientists have revealed that there is no sign of an atmosphere on one of the seven rocky, Earth-sized planets that orbit a nearby star. 

The planet in question is the innermost planet in the Trappist system, located 40 light-years away. This discovery has raised concerns about the potential habitability of the other planets in the system, some of which are situated in the "habitable zone" and may contain water and support life.

The research team, led by NASA, utilised a specialised technique tailored for examining warm planets like this one. The study's results were published in the journal Nature on Monday.

The lack of an atmosphere would mean no water and no protection from cosmic rays, said NASA's Thomas Greene, the lead researcher.

As for the other planets orbiting the small, feeble Trappist star, I would have been more optimistic about the others having atmospheres if this one had, Greene said in an email.

Because this innermost planet is bombarded by solar radiation four times as much as Earth gets from our sun it's possible that extra energy is why there's no atmosphere, Greene noted.

More observations are planned not only of this planet, but the others in the Trappist system.