Astronomers found an #atmosphere where they least expected it—clinging to an #exoplanet that’s too small, too hot and too old to have air, at least in theory.

Observations of the blazing-hot lava #planet TOI-561 b suggest not only that it has a thick atmosphere but also that it may have had one for billions of years.

This is the strongest evidence yet for "air" around a hot rocky world that isn’t just a temporary veil of #hydrogen and #helium left over from planetary formation.

#exoplanets #astronomy
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/james-webb-space-telescope-finds-atmosphere-on-lava-planet-toi-561-b/