Life Elsewhere
Astrobiologists believe that three ingredients which are vital for life. They are water, energy, and organic molecules such as carbon (C). Energy and organic molecules are abundant in the Universe. But liquid water is rare.
- The Habitable Zone (HZ)
A habitable zone (HZ) is the area around a star where liquid water could exist on or near the surface of a planet. We call it an HZ because we believe liquid water is vital for the existence of life.
An HZ is sometimes called a CHZ, where the C stands for 'continuously' or 'circumstellar'. The name Goldilocks Zone is perhaps a more useful way to describe an HZ. It is a region that is not too hot, and not too cold, but just right! The size and location of an HZ depend on the size and type of the star.
JWST Wordsearch
Search for words related to the James Web Space Telescope.
Design a Planet
There are 8 planets in our Solar System. And there are many thousands of planets orbiting around other stars. We call these planets exoplanets.
Investigate Exoplanets
John Johnson
Credit: NASA
Occupation: Astrophysicist & Professor of Astronomy
Year born: 1977
Research Areas: Exoplanets
Carl Sagan
Early Life
Carl Sagan grew up in Brooklyn, USA in a working-class family. Carl’s interest in astronomy began as a 5-year old child when he would visit the library to find books about stars. He loved science fiction books and became fascinated by extra-terrestrial life. As a teenager, he visited museums and science fairs, to learn as much as he could. He went to university aged 16, to study physics, alongside genetics, chemistry, and biology.
Year born: 1934
Research Areas: Extraterrestrial Life, Planetary Science
"Not explaining science seems to me perverse.
When you're in love, you want to tell the world."