Moving to Outer Space? Try Saturn’s Moon, Titan
Monday, November 28, 2011
(graphic: Sci Fi Channel)
If life on Earth has gotten to be a bit too much, the neighborhood near Saturn might be the place to try next.
A group of astrobiologists has calculated which planets and satellites are the next best options for supporting life outside of earth. Saturn’s moon Titan was ranked the most likely among destinations within the solar system because it is the most like Earth. Beyond that, the best bet is Mars.
The scientists devised two systems for ranking planets and moons: the Earth Similarity Index (ESI); and the Planetary Habitability Index (PHI). ESI factored in Earth-like qualities, such as size, density and distance from the parent star, while PHI looked at factors like planetary surfaces (rocky, frozen, etc), types of atmosphere and magnetic fields.
In the ESI ranking, the exoplanet 581g, which orbits the red dwarf star Gliese, 20.5 light-years away in the constellation Libra, placed first, followed by two other Gliese exoplanets.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Most Liveable Alien Worlds Ranked (BBC News)\
A Two-Tiered Approach to Assessing the Habitability of Exoplanets (by Dirk Schulze-Makuch, Abel Méndez, Alberto G. Fairén, Philip von Paris, Carol Turse, Grayson Boyer, Alfonso F. Davila, Marina Resendes de Sousa António, David Catling, and Louis N. Irwin, Astrobiology) (abstract only)
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