Utilizing the powerful James Webb Space Telescope, a group of international scientists has investigated the distant exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 c and found it likely lacks an atmosphere capable of supporting life as we know it.

According to NASA, graduate student Sebastian Zieba, a participant in the study, explained that the team's objective was to ascertain whether rocky planets like TRAPPIST-1 c possess atmospheres. Previously, research was limited to planets with dense, hydrogen-rich atmospheres. The Webb Telescope, however, allows scientists to explore planets with atmospheres potentially composed of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide.

TRAPPIST-1 c is part of a system of seven rocky planets orbiting an ultracool red dwarf star roughly 40 light-years from Earth. While similar in size and mass to Earth, the presence and composition of atmospheres on these planets remained uncertain. Researchers also questioned whether these planets possessed sufficient water, carbon dioxide, and other crucial elements for atmospheric formation and the sustenance of life.

The research team observed TRAPPIST-1 c four times during its orbit to assess its atmospheric content. NASA explains that a planet with an atmosphere will distribute heat from its dayside to its nightside, resulting in a lower dayside temperature compared to a planet without an atmosphere. The observations of TRAPPIST-1 c suggest it is likely a bare rock, devoid of a substantial atmosphere. It may have a very thin atmosphere with less carbon dioxide than Earth or even Mars, and without any cloud cover.

The apparent absence of a thick atmosphere indicates that TRAPPIST-1 c may have formed with limited water, according to NASA. This discovery provides valuable insights into the diversity of planetary formation and the conditions necessary for habitability.