Habitable Zones & Global Climate

Is Life Most Likely Around Sun-like Stars?

By Keith Cowing
astro-ph.EP
October 31, 2017
Filed under
Is Life Most Likely Around Sun-like Stars?
Extrasolar planet

We consider the habitability of Earth-analogs around stars of different masses, which is regulated by the stellar lifetime, stellar wind-induced atmospheric erosion, and biologically active ultraviolet (UV) irradiance.

By estimating the timescales associated with each of these items, we show that they collectively impose limits on the habitability of Earth-analogs. We conclude that planets orbiting most M-dwarfs are not likely to host life, and that the highest probability of complex biospheres is for planets around K- and G-type stars. Our analysis suggests that the current existence of life near the Sun is slightly unusual, but not significantly anomalous.

Manasvi Lingam, Abraham Loeb
(Submitted on 30 Oct 2017)

Comments: 5 pages, 2 figures
Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP); Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
Cite as: arXiv:1710.11134 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:1710.11134v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)
Submission history
From: Manasvi Lingam
[v1] Mon, 30 Oct 2017 18:00:02 GMT (406kb)
https://arxiv.org/abs/1710.11134
Astrobiology

Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA Space Station Payload manager/space biologist, Away Teams, Journalist, Lapsed climber, Synaesthete, Na’Vi-Jedi-Freman-Buddhist-mix, ASL, Devon Island and Everest Base Camp veteran, (he/him) 🖖🏻