science

True, but up till now we didn't even know if a tidally locked planet around a red dwarf could even hold an atmosphere (since red dwarfs tend to have much more powerful x-ray flares, and planets sit much closer to them than our G-type sun). So the fact that this one does have lightweight Helium in the atmosphere would seem to significantly increase the odds that there's life elsewhere, since red dwarfs are super common and if there's 1 that can hold an atmosphere, odds are that there are many, many others.

But a habitable ring around the twilight portion sounds very cool and world build-y.

Being tidally locked could make evolution less dynamic than earth, but it also means there's a Goldilocks zone in there that's always around the right temperature and things could just migrate a little to the east or west to stay within that area. What I find a bit odd is that they would know the approximate gravity of the planet by now, but there's no mention of that in the article. Makes me assume it's bad. Probably too dense for anything but simple life forms.

We need a nice orange dwarf star planet within 15 percent of our own gravity and a good molten core, a moon or two, and a bunch of big ass blocker planets to keep most large asteroids from hitting it and a low enough amount of radioactive crap on it.

The far side will be very cold, but there will be some heat transfer through the atmosphere so it doesn't necessarily mean life can't exist there.

Reminds me of an excerpt from Kurt Vonnegut's The Sirens Of Titan: https://www.flickr.com/photos/romasita/2766136797

So the fat side will be very, very cold

Well, that's why it has all that blubber! To keep it warm.

the universe is estimated to be 93 BILLION light-years wide.

Only the part we can see. There's more.

Also, that measurement is 20 years old by now, so the current size should be 93 billion and 20 light years wide.

One light year is an impossible distance to travel.

The use of light years is very deceptive. People see a small number and assume it is a modest distance.

Posted 1:40 PM, Jul 22, 2026

It's right below the by line before the article starts.

Pretty much agree with you on the rest of your points though. The "we found a planet we can live on!" articles that get recycled on slow news days are always lazy poorly written garbage. This one is particularly lazy and bad.

Remember, assuming it isn't AI generated to begin with, most "journalists" today have almost no experience with the subject and get paid a pittance, assuming they aren't interns to start with. Clickbait titles are incredibly bad nowadays and have become the norm. I have to laugh at how deceptive they usually are.

These kinds of articles are frustrating because they also kill people's trust in science. The scientists say one thing and the "journalists" twist it into clickbait bs. Now the term "Earth-like planet" means practically nothing. Venus would be considered an "Earth-like planet" by these standards.

You better pack a few hundred thousand years of snacks for the trip.

Well, some of you... (can I come along?)

📰🗞️ OIL FOUND on LHS 1140b 📰🗞️

but do hold your breath if you somehow end up there

It’s a rocky planet, in habitable zone with an atmosphere. So yes it like Earth in those ways.

All else is still to be learned.