An international team of scientists has identified atmospheric evidence surrounding HD 3167 b, a rocky super-Earth located in the constellation Pisces approximately 154 light-years from Earth. The discovery was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters and marks a significant finding in the ongoing search for potentially habitable worlds beyond our solar system. HD 3167 b is classified as a lava world, with surface temperatures so extreme that rock exists in a molten state, and it completes a full orbit around its host star in just one Earth day.
The detection of an atmosphere on this world is particularly noteworthy because planetary scientists had expected rocky planets in close orbits to lose their atmospheres due to intense stellar radiation and solar wind bombardment. The research team, led by Brandon Park Coy at the University of Chicago, found that HD 3167 b’s dayside is noticeably cooler than theoretical predictions would suggest for a bare rock surface. This temperature differential indicates heat redistribution consistent with an atmospheric envelope, similar to what occurs on Venus where atmospheric circulation moderates temperature variations across the planet.
The research represents the initial results from a broader observational program examining ten ultra-hot lava worlds to determine whether a critical temperature threshold exists for atmospheric retention on such planets. While five terrestrial exoplanets with atmospheres have been identified, HD 3167 b is the coolest among them, making it valuable for understanding the temperature boundaries between atmospheric and non-atmospheric rocky planets.
Scientists remain uncertain about the precise composition of HD 3167 b’s atmosphere, though leading hypotheses suggest it may contain vaporized silicate minerals, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, or water vapor. The discovery holds implications beyond exoplanet characterization, potentially illuminating conditions on early Earth when the planet was predominantly molten during its initial formation stage, billions of years ago.
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