Researchers Create 'Habitability Index' For Exoplanets

hypnosec writes: The Kepler Space Telescope has allowed astronomers to detect and catalog thousands of exoplanets and exoplanet candidates. With more powerful telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope scheduled for launch, scientists will be able to check if any of these exoplanets are habitable. But these space telescopes are expensive to create, and access time is coveted. This means simply pointing telescopes to random exoplanets isn't a practical proposition. That's why researchers have created what they call a "habitability index for transiting planets," with which astronomers will be able to prioritize the use of space telescopes for finding habitable planets. Their paper is available at the arXiv.

Comments

We already had one

[russotto]

The most habitable worlds, of course, are class M.

Re:We already had one

[Anonymous Coward]

Class H's "generally uninhabitable" doesn't tell you why.

It's typically because there is a giant blob of an amorphic entity bent on making doppelgangers of anyone who steps foot on them. Also the atmospheres are typically highly corrosive. The "H" in "Class H" is short for "Hell."