A newly-discovered sub-Neptune exoplanet has been found to have an atmosphere that is surprisingly rich in oxygen and carbon. While astronomers did not expect to find such an abundance of these elements, the findings suggest that the planet may be capable of supporting life. The planet, known as GJ 436b, is located approximately 33 light-years from Earth and orbits a red dwarf star every two days. This makes it one of the closest known exoplanets to our Solar System. Scientists used a combination of ground-based telescopes and the powerful Hubble Space Telescope to study the planet’s atmosphere. They found that the atmosphere was made up of a combination of oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen, which is quite different from the composition of atmospheres found on other sub-Neptune planets.

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source: Phys.org