[8] It had been called "one of the most important planets ever discovered beyond the Solar System": Due to its relative proximity to Earth, telescopes should have been able to determine the composition of its atmosphere, the speed of its winds and the color of its sunsets,[9][10][11] if an atmosphere was present.

[14] Instead, in 2021 detection of a hazy hydrogen atmosphere without helium but with the admixture methane and hydrogen cyanide (implying substantial underlying free nitrogen in the mix, at around 8.9% of the atmosphere) was claimed.

[15] However, two subsequent studies found no evidence for molecular absorption in the HST WFC3 Spectrum of GJ 1132 b.

[citation needed] A secondary eclipse observed by the James Webb Space Telescope and published in 2024 revealed a substellar temperature of 709±31 K (436 °C; 817 °F).

This is only slightly below the maximum possible dayside temperature of 746+11−14 K (473 °C; 883 °F), assuming a zero albedo planet with no heat redistribution.