{"id":132090,"date":"2025-05-26T02:07:13","date_gmt":"2025-05-26T02:07:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/132090\/"},"modified":"2025-05-26T02:07:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T02:07:13","slug":"beach-resort-planet-with-20c-sea-could-be-future-astro-tourist-hotspot-but-you-may-be-dead-by-the-time-you-arrive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/132090\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Beach resort’ planet with ’20C sea’ could be future astro-tourist hotspot – but you may be DEAD by the time you arrive"},"content":{"rendered":"

THERE are planets beyond our own that could be hiding untouched paradises.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Exoplanet <\/a>LHS 1140 b is just one of them – and could make a great beach resort for astro-tourists <\/a>of the future.<\/p>\n

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With a possible ocean temperature of 20C (68F), this planet could host some epic beach days in a few millennia – if humans ever master interstellar travelCredit: B. Gougeon\/Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al\"Person<\/a><\/p>\n

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Even the closest of exoplanets are too far away to visit with today’s technologyCredit: Getty<\/p>\n

First unveiled in 2017, LHS 1140 b is 41 light-years away, and may be humanity\u2019s best chance of finding liquid water on a world outside our solar system.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s one pretty big hitch, however – anyone boarding a rocket destined for LHS 1140 b would likely die long before they arrived.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If they don\u2019t, then they would probably be very old, and not quite up for the water sports that could be on the cards.<\/p>\n

Even the closest of exoplanets are too far away to visit.<\/p>\n

And although this world is relatively close to our own in cosmic terms, it would still take 41 years to get there – while travelling at the speed of light.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Of course, we haven\u2019t yet mastered light speed travel – let alone anything faster.<\/p>\n

But with a possible ocean temperature of 20C (68F), this planet could host some epic beach days in a few millennia – if humans ever master interstellar travel.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Last year, after falling under the James Webb Space Telescope<\/a>\u2019s keen eye, scientists were able to find out more about this distant world.<\/p>\n

They believe it is a potentially rocky world, much larger than Earth<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Best-ever sign of ALIEN life found on distant planet as scientists ‘99.7% sure of astounding biological activity signal\u2019<\/p>\n

It has a planet mass of 5.6 Earths and a year that lasts just 25 days, according to Nasa.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Data gathered by JWST<\/a>, the $10 billion telescope Nasa <\/a>launched into space in 2021, strongly supports LHS 1140 b being an ocean world with a tentative nitrogen atmosphere.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, further observations are needed to fully confirm this.<\/p>\n

“Detecting an Earth-like atmosphere on a temperate planet is pushing Webb\u2019s capabilities to its limits; it\u2019s feasible; we just need lots of observing time,\u201d\u00a0Ren\u00e9 Doyon, of the International Research & Exchanges Board (iREx) who studied the data, said in a statement last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe current hint of a nitrogen-rich atmosphere begs for confirmation with more data.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need at least one more year of observations to confirm that LHS 1140 b has an atmosphere, and likely two or three more to detect carbon dioxide.”<\/p>\n

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JWST data further suggests the exoplanet’s mass might be made of between 10 and 20 per cent liquid waterCredit: NASA<\/p>\n

LHS 1140 b is a super Earth exoplanet that lies in the so-called \u201cGoldilocks zone\u201d of its nearest star.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is the area around a star where it’s neither too hot nor too cold for a world to host liquid water.<\/p>\n

When the data was pinged back to Earth – a process that miraculously only takes about five seconds – it was the \u201cfirst time [scientists] have ever seen a hint of an atmosphere on a\u00a0habitable zone\u00a0rocky or ice-rich exoplanet,” according to Ryan MacDonald, a\u00a0Nasa Sagan Fellow in the University of Michigan’s Department of Astronomy, who helped analyse LHS 1140 b’s atmosphere.\u00a0<\/p>\n

JWST data further suggests the exoplanet’s mass might be made of between 10 and 20 per cent liquid water.<\/p>\n

While that could mean the planet looks like one big snowball – the side facing the sun could have a warm liquid ocean, making it look like an eyeball.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Charles Cadieux, a doctoral student at the Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al and lead author of a paper on the discovery, said at the time:\u00a0“Of all currently known temperate exoplanets, LHS 1140 b could well be our best bet to one day indirectly confirm liquid water on the surface of an alien world beyond our solar system.<\/p>\n

“This would be a major milestone in the search for potentially habitable exoplanets.”<\/p>\n

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And although this world is relatively close to our own in cosmic terms, it would still take 41 years to get there – while travelling at the speed of lightCredit: Getty<\/p>\n

All you need to know about planets in our solar system<\/p>\n

Our solar system is made up of nine planets with Earth the third closest to the Sun. But each planet has its own quirks, so find out more about them all…<\/p>\n