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8 - Continuous Habitability

from Part III - Habitability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 November 2024

Manasvi Lingam
Affiliation:
Florida Institute of Technology
Amedeo Balbi
Affiliation:
Università degli Studi di Roma 'Tor Vergata'
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Summary

The manifold requirements for a world to sustain habitability on long timescales (continuous habitability) are delineated in this chapter. The first part offers a brief introduction to climate physics (e.g., greenhouse effect), and thereupon formulates the notion of the habitable zone, that is, the region where liquid water could exist on rocky planets orbiting stars; the boundaries of the habitable zone as a function of the stellar temperature are also presented. In the second part, the various stellar factors potentially involved in regulating planetary habitability are sketched: winds, flares and space weather, and electromagnetic radiation. The third part chronicles some planetary variables that may affect habitability: mass, plate tectonics, magnetic field, tidal locking, and atmospheric composition. The last part is devoted to examining the high-energy astrophysical processes that might impact habitability on galactic scales: candidates in this regard include supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and active supermassive black holes.

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From Stars to Life
A Quantitative Approach to Astrobiology
, pp. 173 - 200
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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  • Continuous Habitability
  • Manasvi Lingam, Florida Institute of Technology, Amedeo Balbi, Università degli Studi di Roma 'Tor Vergata'
  • Book: From Stars to Life
  • Online publication: 22 November 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009411257.009
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  • Continuous Habitability
  • Manasvi Lingam, Florida Institute of Technology, Amedeo Balbi, Università degli Studi di Roma 'Tor Vergata'
  • Book: From Stars to Life
  • Online publication: 22 November 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009411257.009
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Continuous Habitability
  • Manasvi Lingam, Florida Institute of Technology, Amedeo Balbi, Università degli Studi di Roma 'Tor Vergata'
  • Book: From Stars to Life
  • Online publication: 22 November 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009411257.009
Available formats
×