What does habitable zone mean?

Definitions for habitable zone
hab·it·able zone

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word habitable zone.

Wiktionary

  1. habitable zonenoun

    The zone around a star where a planet could experience temperatures like those on Earth, allowing for the possible existence of liquid water and of life.

Wikipedia

  1. habitable zone

    In astronomy and astrobiology, the circumstellar habitable zone (CHZ), or simply the habitable zone, is the range of orbits around a star within which a planetary surface can support liquid water given sufficient atmospheric pressure. The bounds of the CHZ are based on Earth's position in the Solar System and the amount of radiant energy it receives from the Sun. Due to the importance of liquid water to Earth's biosphere, the nature of the CHZ and the objects within it may be instrumental in determining the scope and distribution of planets capable of supporting Earth-like extraterrestrial life and intelligence. The habitable zone is also called the Goldilocks zone, a metaphor, allusion and antonomasia of the children's fairy tale of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", in which a little girl chooses from sets of three items, ignoring the ones that are too extreme (large or small, hot or cold, etc.), and settling on the one in the middle, which is "just right". Since the concept was first presented in 1953, many stars have been confirmed to possess a CHZ planet, including some systems that consist of multiple CHZ planets. Most such planets, being either super-Earths or gas giants, are more massive than Earth, because massive planets are easier to detect. On November 4, 2013, astronomers reported, based on Kepler data, that there could be as many as 40 billion Earth-sized planets orbiting in the habitable zones of Sun-like stars and red dwarfs in the Milky Way. About 11 billion of these may be orbiting Sun-like stars. Proxima Centauri b, located about 4.2 light-years (1.3 parsecs) from Earth in the constellation of Centaurus, is the nearest known exoplanet, and is orbiting in the habitable zone of its star. The CHZ is also of particular interest to the emerging field of habitability of natural satellites, because planetary-mass moons in the CHZ might outnumber planets.In subsequent decades, the CHZ concept began to be challenged as a primary criterion for life, so the concept is still evolving. Since the discovery of evidence for extraterrestrial liquid water, substantial quantities of it are now thought to occur outside the circumstellar habitable zone. The concept of deep biospheres, like Earth's, that exist independently of stellar energy, are now generally accepted in astrobiology given the large amount of liquid water known to exist within in lithospheres and asthenospheres of the Solar System. Sustained by other energy sources, such as tidal heating or radioactive decay or pressurized by non-atmospheric means, liquid water may be found even on rogue planets, or their moons. Liquid water can also exist at a wider range of temperatures and pressures as a solution, for example with sodium chlorides in seawater on Earth, chlorides and sulphates on equatorial Mars, or ammoniates, due to its different colligative properties. In addition, other circumstellar zones, where non-water solvents favorable to hypothetical life based on alternative biochemistries could exist in liquid form at the surface, have been proposed.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of habitable zone in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of habitable zone in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of habitable zone in a Sentence

  1. Paul Hertz:

    TESS was designed and launched specifically to find Earth-sized planets orbiting nearby stars, planets around nearby stars are easiest to follow-up with larger telescopes in space and on Earth. Discovering TOI 700 d is a key science finding for TESS. Confirming the planet's size and habitable zone status with Spitzer is another win for Spitzer as it approaches the end of science operations this January.

  2. Jon Jenkins:

    It’s simply awe-inspiring to consider that this planet has spent 6 billion years in the habitable zone of its star, that’s considerable time and opportunity for life to arise somewhere on its surface or in its oceans should all the necessary ingredients and conditions for life exist on this planet.

  3. David Bennett:

    Planet formation theory is pretty important even if you are only interested in habitable planets because its not just enough to have a planet in the habitable zone, you have to have chemicals that are consistent with life and a history thats consistent with the development of life, the better we can understand planet formation, the better we are able to predict which planets might be habitable.

  4. Jason Dittmann:

    It's very interesting to me that we have just discovered a super-Earth right up against that boundary, the fact that the planet is rocky and in its star's habitable zone also raises its intrigue, because we may now have a planet suitable for the search for life as well.

  5. Jason Steffen:

    You're no worse off by having a neighboring planet that's also in the habitable zone.


Translations for habitable zone

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"habitable zone." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 16 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/habitable+zone>.

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