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cstoos
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With the confirmation of water on at least two other major bodies in our solar system so far (Mars, Moon), has this expanded the range of the "habitable zone" when searching for locations of possible life in the solar system?
Not sure if that's totally accepted, water could have flowed as ice or as a hydrate, if there was liquid water it would only have existed while Mars had a much thicker atmosphere.cstoos said:Right, but we know that liquid water once flowed on Mars, correct?
From what I can gather, there's still a fair amount of uncertainty where this is concerned. See this blog post, for instance:cstoos said:Right, but we know that liquid water once flowed on Mars, correct?
A habitable zone is the region around a star where it is possible for liquid water to exist on the surface of a planet.
We can determine the habitable zone of a planet by looking at its distance from its star, the star's size and temperature, and the planet's atmospheric conditions.
A planet must have liquid water, a stable and suitable atmosphere, and a source of energy to be considered suitable for life. Other factors such as the planet's size, surface temperature, and geological activity may also play a role.
Yes, there are other methods such as searching for biosignatures, which are chemical or physical signs of life, or studying the atmospheric composition of planets to look for biomarkers.
Yes, scientists have discovered several exoplanets within the habitable zone of their stars, such as Proxima Centauri b and TRAPPIST-1e. However, more research is needed to determine if these planets are truly habitable.