Webb scientists wonder if this planet lost then rebuilt an atmosphere

As scientists continue to study a distant star system with seven rocky exoplanets , the odds of finding a livable world there seem to be getting longer.

Early results on the fourth planet from the TRAPPIST-1 star suggest it lost its original atmosphere to space long ago, and it’s unclear if it ever built a new one. Researchers used NASA 's James Webb Space Telescope for their observations.

But the planet, TRAPPIST-1e, could still have enough greenhouse gases surrounding it to allow water to stick — maybe as a global ocean or one that covers the side that always faces its red dwarf star .

Among the seven worlds orbiting the star 40 light-years away, planet E has stood out as one of the best bets for life because it may sit in a so-called habitable zone, wher