A NEW ATMOSPHERE
GJ 1132 b DISCOVERED: 2015 DETECTION METHOD:
TRANSIT
When GJ 1132 b was discovered by Chile’s Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory in 2015, it was hailed as the closest Earth-size exoplanet known at that time. This made it interesting enough to take a closer look with Hubble. Hubble was able to peer into the planet’s atmosphere, where it made a startling discovery. Based on a combination of observational evidence and computer modelling, scientists believe it’s a ‘secondary’ atmosphere formed by volcanic activity after radiation from the planet’s parent star destroyed its original atmosphere. The new atmosphere isn’t a particularly hospitable one, though, consisting of molecular hydrogen, cyanide, methane and an aerosol haze.