Distant planet GJ 1132 b is a sub-Neptune that lost its atmosphere due to being too close to its young, hot star and faced with intense radiation, making this sub-Neptune more Earth-sized. But wait! What’s this the Hubble Space Telescope has detected? An atmosphere? It seems that, in the face of losing its atmosphere, GJ 1132 b found a way to acquire a new one.⠀ ⠀ This secondary atmosphere was analyzed based on a combination of Hubble’s observations and some computer modeling. Instead of the primordial hydrogen/helium atmosphere, atmosphere 2.0 is made of hydrogen, hydrogen cyanide, methane, and an aerosol haze. The haze is likely photochemically produced hydrocarbons, similar to the smog that can form here on Earth. ⠀ ⠀ Read my full story here: buff.ly/2PcKynu⠀ ⠀ #exoplanets #science #astronomy #planetaryscience #atmosphere #minineptune #superearth #space