The Habitability of Planets in the Universe

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Are we alone in the universe? Is anything or anybody out there? These are age old questions, asked from people of all ages and races. But the first questions we need to ask are if it is even possible? Are there any other planets out there that are habitable? What does a planet need to be habitable? Without a habitable planet life cannot sustain in the universe, the search for life in the universe has been long and hard with no results proving life to exist outside of earth. The most predominant searchers of those at the SETI Institute or Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence Institute, a privately funded organization, that uses various methods to search for electromagnetic transmissions, the assumed method of contact, from distant planets. With information about planets habitability and possibly locations in space SETI would be greatly benefitted; they are challenged now by searching for transmissions without any knowledge of direction, spectrum, or method of use (SETI). If possible directions were known one less assumption would have to be made and we could one step closer to finding life in the universe.

Finding a habitable planet and life in the universe is much more then searching for life, it is searching for a planet in a solar system in the universe that is capable if maintaining life. It must be within a habitable zone in the solar system and all the necessities for planetary habitable on the planet. It must be in an area where its lifespan will be long enough for life to evolve. It must be inhabited by organisms capable of evolution.

Habitable can mean many things. A habitable planet could sustain some form for life, but not others. For this paper I am using the Darwinian Definition for a life and a habitable pla...

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...se/545/hotter-stars-habitable-planets>.

Kasting, James F. "How to Find a Habitable Planet." Geosciences- Penn State University. Web. .

Madrigal, Alexis. "Earth Gets Billion-Year Life Extension | Wired Science | Wired.com." Wired.com. 1 Jan. 2009. Web. .

Mullen, Leslie. "Galactic Habitable Zones." Astrobiology Magazine -- The Origin and Evolution of Life in the Universe. 18 May 2001. Web. .

"SETI." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. .

"What Makes Earth Habitable." Cheyenne Mountian School District. Web. .

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