Sphere Of lifeGoldilocks Zone
Habitable zone around a star
The Goldilocks region is an area of space in which a planet is just the right distance from its home star so that its surface is neither too hot nor too cold.
We often hear about astronomers discovering a new planet within the goldilocks zone. But what is this goldilocks zone (GZ) and why is any news of sighting a planet within the vicinity of GZ interesting? In astronomy, goldilocks zone, is also known as the habitable around a star where a planet or several planets with enough atmospheric pressure are able to maintain liquid water on their surface without the water neither being completely vaporized or frozen. And the existence of liquid water signals the presence of life. One good example of a planet located in such goldilocks zone is our 4.5 billion year old Earth. The distance from our Sun to the Earth that we live on is just right where water is neither too cold (like Mars) nor too hot (like Venus) and thus the planetary atmospheric and environmental condition is just perfect to sustain carbon-based life forms, which eventually evolved into intelligent life. Scientists also argue that it doesn't necessary have to be a carbon based life form, some astronomers are suggesting that there might be ammonia and methane based life forms on other parts of the Universe. It is important to note that the Eart's almost circular orbit keeps it firmly within the GZ at all time, but if a planet orbits covering much wider distance going into and out of the goldilocks zone during the course of orbiting, then it is incapable of supporting life. It is in the goldilocks zone where other Earth-like planets could be found with the great possibility of an intelligent alien life form in other solar systems. So far quite a few planets have been discovered that are thought to exist, at one time or another, within the vicinity of GZ. Some of these include, Gliese 581 C & D, moons of 16 Cygni Bb, moons of the gas giants Gliese 876 b & c, watery clouds and moons of Upsilon Andromedae d, satellites of another gas giant HD 28185 b, moons of a Jupiter-like gas giant 55 Cancri f, the planet HD 85512 b, which is one of the best candidates to host alien life, Kepler-22b which is a super Earth planet meaning it is 2.4 times the size of Earth, GJ 667Cc which is also a gas giant that is believe to be in GZ. Besides these a host of planets were discovered by Kepler Space Observatory Mission Team. Amongst them 54 are thought to exist in the goldilocks zone. According to scientists, within a 1000 light years of Earth, there ought to be at least 30,000 habitable worlds. Given that there are at lease 50 billion planets in the Milky Way alone, there should be at least 500 million in the goldilocks zone.
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