An Earth-like planet orbiting an M dwarf—the most common type of star in the universe—appears to have no atmosphere at all. This discovery could cause a major shift in the search for life on other planets.
Because M-dwarfs are so ubiquitous, this discovery means a large number of planets orbiting these stars may also lack atmospheres and therefore are unlikely to harbor living things.
The work that led to the revelations about the no-atmosphere planet, named GJ 1252b, are detailed in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
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