A Giant Cosmic Eyeball May Be Watching Us And It Could Be Hiding a Massive Ocean

Say hello to LHS-1140b a mysterious exoplanet just 50 light-years from Earth that looks like something straight out of science fiction. Thanks to the incredible clarity of the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers are buzzing with excitement over what might be hidden beneath its strange, frozen surface: a massive liquid ocean, quietly shimmering on the sunlit side of this alien world.

Orbiting a cool red dwarf star, LHS-1140b is what scientists call tidally locked—meaning one side of the planet always faces its star, basking in eternal light, while the other remains trapped in permanent night. The sunlit hemisphere, warmed just enough, could cradle a vast ocean, while the dark side stays frozen solid. The result? A bizarre but mesmerizing planetary appearance: one glowing watery “eye” in the middle of a pitch-black icy globe. This eerie visual has earned it the nickname “eyeball planet.”

But this isn’t just about looks. If the suspected ocean exists, LHS-1140b could rank among the most promising places to find alien life. Unlike Earth-like planets that dominate our dreams of space colonization, this half-frozen, half-liquid world challenges our assumptions of habitability. Its extreme conditions don’t rule out life—they may even support it. That’s why LHS-1140b is quickly climbing the ranks of top exoplanet candidates in the search for extraterrestrial biology.

Ultimately, LHS-1140b is a reminder that the universe isn’t bound by Earth’s rules. It teases us with the possibility that even in deep, cold shadows—or within glowing alien seas—life might find a way to exist. And it’s that cosmic mystery that keeps our eyes turned skyward.

Credit: Data and insights based on observations from the James Webb Space Telescope, shared via NASA, European Space Agency, and astronomer commentary published by multiple astrophysical journals and science news outlets