Helium is detected for the first time in the atmosphere outside the solar system

the first time that this element is detected in the atmosphere of a planet outside the Solar System

, according to the ESA.

The team, led by the PhD student at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, Jessica Spake, made

the detection

by analyzing the infrared spectrum of the atmosphere of WASP-107b.

Previous detections of extended exoplanet atmospheres have been made by studying the spectrum at ultraviolet and optical wavelengths;

This detection, therefore,

demonstrates that exoplanet atmospheres can also be studied

at longer wavelengths.

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"The strong helium signal we have measured demonstrates a new technique for studying higher layers of exoplanet atmospheres over a wider range of planets," says Spake, who says current methods using ultraviolet light are limited to exoplanets.

closest.

"We know that

there is helium in the upper atmosphere of the Earth

and this new technique can help us detect atmospheres around exoplanets the size of the Earth, which is very difficult with current technology, "he adds.

WASP-107b is one of the lowest known density planets;

Although the planet

is approximately the same size as Jupiter

, it only has 12% of the mass of Jupiter.

The exoplanet is about 200 light years from Earth and it takes less than six days to orbit its host star.

Helium, the second most common element in the Universe

The amount of helium detected in the atmosphere of WASP-107b

is so great

That its upper atmosphere must extend tens of thousands of kilometers into space.

This also makes it the first time that an extended atmosphere at infrared wavelengths is discovered.

Since its atmosphere is so widespread, the planet is losing a large amount of its atmospheric gases in space, between -0.1 and 4% of the total mass of its atmosphere every 1,000 million years.

As early as 2000, it was predicted that helium would be one of the most easily detectable gases in giant exoplanets, but until now, searches were unsuccessful.

"Helium

is the second most common element in the Universe after hydrogen, it

is also one of the main constituents of the planets Jupiter and Saturn in our Solar System, but until now no helium has been detected in exoplanets, despite of his searches, "Spake explains its importance.

For his part, David Sing, co-author of the study also from the University of Exeter, concludes that

this new method

, together with future telescopes such as NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, ESA and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) will allow to analyze atmospheres of exoplanets in distant places and in more detail than ever.

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