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Habitable Planets May Be Common
swight1701 writes "New Scientist tells us, "one in four of the planetary systems identified to date outside the Solar System are capable of harbouring other Earths, say astrophysicists, a much higher proportion than anyone expected." Two seperate groups have come up with results that line up with each other, the latest one using simulations of 85 systems. Warm up the warp engines, time to go planet hopping!"
"This study is referring to the distance of the star to the planet being far enough that the sun doesn't fry the planet."
Actually, it referrs to a bit more than that...
It referrs to the ability of an Earth-sized planet to exist in a stable "habitable zone" orbit (not too hot, not too cold).
Not being torn apart or having a perturbed orbit due to the proximity of gas giants, etc. is another big factor.
However, it isn't exactly time to start looking for a nice time-share condo on Ceta Alpha V, yet.
Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
We do it, but even bacteria do it too. As plants have reduced the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, different dominant plant families have arisen able to survive in the low-CO2 environment. Insects were big at one time because there was more oxygen in the atmosphere, now the species are smaller because there is less. The idea that life requires 0-35C, 20% oxygen, is based on a static view of the world which, as our genetics lecturer once remarked "Unfortunately for some religious groups does not accord with any of the evidence."
Panurge has posted for the last time. Thanks for the positive moderations.
The Oxygen in earths atmosphere came from the earliest living organisms. They metabolized CO2 and released waste Oxygen. Oxygen is too reactive to nature naturally in large quantities in an atmosphere. If we find Oxygenated worlds, we found life of some kind, and life that has been established for billions of years no less.