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Astronomers spot helium on exoplanet for first time

After more than a decade of searching, scientists finally detect the element billowing out of a gas giant.
  1. Alexandra Witze
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A dark planet surrounded by a dark cloud of gas passes in front of an enormous orange star.

Exoplanet WASP-107b orbits a star whose radiation is eroding the planet's atmosphere. Credit: EngineHouseVFX.

A big, puffy planet orbiting a small, bright star in the constellation Virgo is leaking helium into space. It’s the first time astronomers have spotted the element on a planet beyond the Solar System, after more than a decade of searching.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-05052-w

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