
What is a habitable zone, and how is the idea useful? Is a planet in the habitable zone necessarily habitable? Explain.

The definition of the habitable zone with its usefulness and discuss the habitability of the planets belonging to the same habitable zone.
Answer to Problem 1RQ
Habitable zones are the area around the central star which has an possiblity of supporting life. Every planet present in an habitable zone does not neseccarily support life as there are various other factors which are required for life to exist on a planet.
Explanation of Solution
Habitable zone is an area around a particular star i.e. the orbital region which has an ability to support different forms of life. The sustenance of life on a particular planet is determined by presence of the various life supporting matters such as water, oxygen, carbon dioxide etc. The planets belonging to the same habitable zone has a higher possibility of life sustenance as the conditions they are exposed to is similar.
All the planets present in a habitable zone does not necessarily support life because there are various other factors which is helpful to determine the habitability of the planet. Factors which are necessary to support life on a planet is as given below.
Luminosity- It is defined as the brightness of the planet in other words the temperature on the planet.
If the solar system in which the sun is the central star is considered, the luminosity of the planets can be determined by the distance of the planets from the sun.
To maintain an optimum temperature the planet need to be in a region which is neither too close to the sun nor too far. Closeness to the sun makes the planet hotter and the distant planets are at very lower temperature. Thus luminosity which can be determined by the distance from the sun plays an important role in sustenance of life.
Size of planet- Except the distance of the planet from the central star, its size plays an important role to sustain life. The planet needs to be large enough to retain heat and to bear plate tectonics to regulate the climate.
Atmospheric conditions- The atmosphere on the planet should be sufficient to retain the liquid water on the surface. Also its presence prevents the exposure of the life to various harmful radiations which play a vital role of existence of life on the planet.
Conclusion:
Thus, habitable zones are the area around the central star which has a possibility of supporting life. Every planet present in an habitable zone does not necessarily support life as there are various other factors which are required for life to exist on a planet.
Want to see more full solutions like this?
Chapter 10 Solutions
Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
Additional Science Textbook Solutions
Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach, Vol. 1 (Chs 1-21) (4th Edition)
Anatomy & Physiology (6th Edition)
Campbell Biology: Concepts & Connections (9th Edition)
Microbiology with Diseases by Body System (5th Edition)
Campbell Biology (11th Edition)
Microbiology: An Introduction
- A block of mass m = 3.00 kg situated on a rough incline at an angle of 0 = 37.0° is connected to a spring of negligible mass having a spring constant of 100 N/m (see the figure below). The pulley is frictionelss. The block is released from rest when the spring is unstretched. The block moves 11.0 cm down the incline before coming to rest. Find the coefficient of kinetic friction between block and incline. k=100 N/m Ө marrow_forward23. What is the velocity of a beam of electrons that goes undeflected when passing through perpendicular electric and magnetic fields of magnitude 8.8 X 103 V/m and 7.5 X 10-3 T. respectively? What is the radius of the electron orbit if the electric field is turned off?arrow_forward10. A light bulb emits 25.00 W of power as visible light. What are the average electric and magnetic fields from the light at a distance of 2.0 m?arrow_forward
- 9. Some 1800 years ago Roman soldiers effectively used slings as deadly weapons. The length of these slings averaged about 81 cm and the lead shot that they used weighed about 30 grams. If in the wind up to a release, the shot rotated around the Roman slinger with a period of .15 seconds. Find the maximum acceleration of the shot before being released in m/s^2 and report it to two significant figures.arrow_forwardIn the movie Fast X, a 10100 kg round bomb is set rolling in Rome. The bomb gets up to 17.6 m/s. To try to stop the bomb, the protagonist Dom swings the counterweight of a crane, which has a mass of 354000 kg into the bomb at 3.61 m/s in the opposite direction. Directly after the collision the crane counterweight continues in the same direction it was going at 2.13 m/s. What is the velocity (magnitude and direction) of the bomb right after the collision?arrow_forwardDon't use aiarrow_forward
- Make sure to draw a sketch with scale as wellarrow_forwardMake sure to draw a sketch with scalearrow_forwardUltimate Byleth and Little Mac fight. Little Mac, who is a boxer, dashes forward at 26.6 m/s, fist first. Byleth moves in the opposite direction at 3.79 m/s, where they collide with Little Mac’s fist. After the punch Byleth flies backwards at 11.1 m/s. How fast, and in what direction, is Little Mac now moving? Little Mac has a mass of 48.5 kg and Byleth has a mass of 72.0 kg.arrow_forward
- AstronomyPhysicsISBN:9781938168284Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. WolffPublisher:OpenStaxStars and Galaxies (MindTap Course List)PhysicsISBN:9781337399944Author:Michael A. SeedsPublisher:Cengage Learning
- Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)PhysicsISBN:9781337399920Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage LearningStars and GalaxiesPhysicsISBN:9781305120785Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage LearningHorizons: Exploring the Universe (MindTap Course ...PhysicsISBN:9781305960961Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage Learning





