Planets capable of supporting life are said to live in the “Goldilocks zone”—based on the fairy tale heroine’s requirement that her stewed porridge not be too warm or too hot. cool.
Unfortunately, like oatmeal, many planets are at ideal temperatures for only short periods of time, making them extremely unlikely for life to develop, scientists have found.
Experts at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Maryland have found that planets move in and out of the habitable zone over time as the star’s brightness and temperature change. Until now, it was believed that their temperature remains relatively constant.
Scientists say this means the number of worlds that could harbor extraterrestrial life has been vastly overestimated.
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“If life cannot occur on these planets, it could have huge implications for the abundance of life in the universe,” Dr Noah Tucho, a postdoctoral fellow at the GSFC, told New Scientist magazine.
Scientists say that some planets reside in the Late Habitable Zone (BHZ) – meaning that although they are currently capable of supporting life, their past history may have made it impossible.
The scientist said that those born close to their star would have had all their water boiled away before they entered the “Goldilocks zone”.
For people born far away, any water that is difficult to melt is likely to form glaciers.
NASA experts estimate that 29 to 74 percent of planets in the habitable zone actually belong to this BHz class.
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Earth has formed about 4.5 billion years ago, but life began to develop only 3.7 to 3.9 billion years ago.
Scientists believe that the bombardment by asteroids and meteorites – which brought the water and chemicals – took hundreds of millions of years before life was sparked.
Dr. Tucho said: ‘A planet’s history dictates its current capacity to support habitable conditions and life.
“Whether these planets can maintain their volatility (like water) and support habitable conditions is unclear.
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“Given that BHZ planets comprise a large proportion of the planets we plan to survey for biosignatures with future missions, the open question of their habitability is important for mission design, survey strategies and interpretation of results.” is an important factor.
Astronomers have estimated that the Milky Way alone may contain 40 billion Earth-sized planets orbiting Sun-like stars and the habitable zones of red dwarfs.
The closest known exoplanet to ours orbiting its star’s habitable zone is Proxima Centauri b, located approximately 4.2 light-years away in the constellation Centaurus.
Scientists also believe that life may be found in regions outside the habitable zone, supported by other sources of energy such as tidal heating or radioactive decay.
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Saturn’s moons Titan and Enceladus are believed to have oceans of liquid water beneath their icy exteriors that could harbor life. Last December, data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft proved that Enceladus contains phosphorus, a key component in the formation of DNA.
Scientists previously discovered carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur on the moon, meaning Enceladus now appears to meet all the criteria for a habitable ocean.
Giant plumes of water vapor erupting from fissures at the south pole of Enceladus have been found to contain salts, methane and a variety of complex organic molecules that may indicate life below the surface.
NASA’s Dragonfly mission, due to launch in 2027, will send an eight-bladed drone-like craft called a quadcopter to make short flights around the surface to search for signs of life.
The study has been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal.
