Spectrally resolved helium absorption from the extended atmosphere of a warm Neptune-mass exoplanet.

Stellar heating causes atmospheres of close-in exoplanets to expand and escape. These extended atmospheres are difficult to observe because their main spectral signature-neutral hydrogen at ultraviolet wavelengths-is strongly absorbed by interstellar medium. We report the detection of the near-infrared triplet of neutral helium in the transiting warm Neptune-mass exoplanet HAT-P-11b by using ground-based, high-resolution observations. The helium feature is repeatable over two independent transits, with an average absorption depth of 1.08 ± 0.05%. Interpreting absorption spectra with three-dimensional simulations of the planet's upper atmosphere suggests that it extends beyond 5 planetary radii, with a large-scale height and a helium mass loss rate of ≲3 × 105 grams per second. A net blue-shift of the absorption might be explained by high-altitude winds flowing at 3 kilometers per second from day to night-side.