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[00:00.67] One side of the planet probably always faces its star.

[00:06.78] Four other planets, all gas giants, are known to orbit the same star.

[00:13.69] The planet is found in our Milky Way galaxy, about 41 light-years from Earth.

[00:21.39] A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, or 9.5 trillion kilometers.

[00:29.36] The planet’s star is gravitationally tied to another star in the system.

[00:37.60] Having two stars in the same system is called a binary system.

[00:42.91] The other star is a red dwarf, the smallest kind of an ordinary star.

[00:49.81] The distance between these two stars is 1,000 times the distance between Earth and the sun.

[00:58.31] Light from one star takes six days to reach the other star.

[01:03.63] Although the rocky planet does appear to have an atmosphere, scientists say it probably should not even have one.

[01:13.72] Being so close to its star, any atmosphere should be taken away by the effects of the star.

[01:22.22] But gases dissolved in the planet’s large ocean of molten rock may continue to fill up the atmosphere, Hu said.

[01:32.85] “The planet cannot be habitable,” Hu added.

[01:37.10] That is because it is too hot to have liquid water, which is also considered necessary for life.

[01:45.86] Scientists have found other planets with an atmosphere outside our solar system.

[01:52.50] But they have all been gaseous planets, not rocky ones.

[01:58.35] As the James Webb telescope pushes the limits of space exploration, the discovery of a rocky planet with an atmosphere is a sign of progress.

[02:12.15] On Earth, the atmosphere warms the planet.

[02:15.08] It contains the oxygen people breathe and protects against the effects of the sun.

[02:23.04] It also creates the pressure needed for liquid water to remain on the planet’s surface.

[02:31.02] Brice-Olivier Demory is a scientist at Switzerland’s University of Bern’s Center for Space and Habitability.

[02:41.11] He helped write the new study.

[02:44.03] He said, “On Earth, atmosphere is key for life.”

[02:49.87] He added that the findings create hope that the Webb telescope may one day find cooler planets that could support liquid water on their surface.

[03:02.36] “But,” he said, “we are not there yet.”