First detection of super-Earth atmosphere

"The exoplanet 55 Cancri e has a dry atmosphere without any indications
of water vapor.

The international team, led by scientists from University College London
(UCL), took observations of the nearby exoplanet 55 Cancri e, a
super-Earth with a mass of eight Earth-masses. It is located in the
planetary system of 55 Cancri, a star about 40 light-years from Earth.

Using observations made with the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) on board
Hubble, the scientists were able to analyze the atmosphere of this
exoplanet. This makes it the first detection of gases in the atmosphere
of a super-Earth. The results allowed the team to examine the atmosphere
of 55 Cancri e in detail and revealed the presence of hydrogen and
helium, but no water vapor. These results were only made possible by
exploiting a newly-developed processing technique."

First detection of super-Earth atmosphere | Astronomy.com
http://www.astronomy.com/news/2016/0...rth-atmosphere