The annual rainfall here is negligible - a few drops of moisture scattered yearly on desiccated, empty land. You wouldn't last a day unprotected in this dead zone.
Astronomers suggest that many rocky planets are likely to be found in habitable zones during the coming years, and some of these will provide a better platform for research with current instruments.
Gliese 581 is one of just nine stars at that particular distance which astronomers have searched with high enough precision to uncover a planet in the habitable zone.
Because Gliese 581 is only 1% as bright as the Sun, it exudes little warmth, and its habitable zone lies much closer. At this distance, planets get locked into strong gravitational pulls that tend to slow their rotation.
Professor James Kasting suggests that Gliese 581g is 'smack dab in the middle' of the zone which, along with its size and composition, makes it the most exciting and realistic prospect for extra-terrestrial life yet.
Roughly the same goes for Gliese 581d, which has a stronger presence in the habitable zone on its far side, but may not be hot enough for liquid water - opinion is not 'completely settled' on this matter.
Gliese 581c skims the near side of the habitable zone, but scientists suggest that it does not have enough of a toehold in this zone to provide a stable infrastructure for organic formations.
Planets that orbit too close to or too far away from their stars do not have a suitable climate; this can only be found in a slender strip of solar space around each star known to astronomers as a 'habitable zone'.
Try not to zone out too much in public! A street thief will avoid like the plague people who are demonstrating a very open awareness of their environment.
Try not to zone out too much in public! A street thief will avoid like the plague people who are demonstrating a very open awareness of their environment.
Try not to zone out too much in public! A street thief will avoid like the plague people who are demonstrating a very open awareness of their environment.
Two outer planets of the Kepler 62 system may lie in the habitable zone. Their orbits place them both in the “Goldilocks” zone of lukewarm temperatures suitable for liquid water.
Two outer planets of the Kepler 62 system may lie in the habitable zone. Their orbits place them both in the “Goldilocks” zone of lukewarm temperatures suitable for liquid water.
Two outer planets of the Kepler 62 system may lie in the habitable zone. Their orbits place them both in the “Goldilocks” zone of lukewarm temperatures suitable for liquid water.
Tensions remain high at the Demilitarized Zone which separates the two Koreas. China is reported to be pushing for an emergency meeting between the two countries, also bringing in Russia, Japan and the US.
The giant isopod is found in deep-sea benthic environments: from the gloomy sublittoral zone to the pitch darkness of the bathypelagic zone at a depth of 2,140 m (7,020 ft)!