Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
4th Edition
ISBN: 9780134089089
Author: Jeffrey O. Bennett, Seth Shostak
Publisher: PEARSON
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Textbook Question
Chapter 10, Problem 2RQ
Describe several ways in which it may be possible to have habitability outside the habitable zone.
Expert Solution & Answer
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Check out a sample textbook solutionStudents have asked these similar questions
A radio broadcast left Earth in 1911. How far in light years has it traveled?
If there is, on average, 1 star system per 400 cubic light years, how many star systems has this broadcast reached?
Assume that the fraction of these star systems that have planets is 0.50 and that, in a given planetary system, the average number of planets that have orbited in the habitable zone for 4 billion years is 0.20. How many possible planets with life could have heard this signal?
Which of the following is least reasonable regarding the concept of a habitable zone?
Group of answer choices
M-type stars have wider habitable zones than G-type stars.
It is a region around a star where liquid water could be found on a planet's surface.
The habitable zone of a less massive star would be closer to the star.
In the course of millions of years, our habitable zone will slowly shift from Earth to Mars.
The Galactic habitable zone cannot be too close to the Galactic center because the radiation from the bright stars and supernovae in the crowded inner part of the Galaxy would probably be detrimental to life.
Tutorial
A radio broadcast left Earth in 1923. How far in light
years has it traveled?
If there is, on average, 1 star system per 400 cubic light
years, how many star systems has this broadcast
reached?
Assume that the fraction of these star systems that
have planets is 0.50 and that, in a given planetary
system, the average number of planets that have
orbited in the habitable zone for 4 billion years is 0.40.
How many possible planets with life could have heard
this signal?
Part 1 of 3
To figure out how many light years a signal has
traveled we need to know how long since the signal left
Earth. If the signal left in 1923, distance in light years =
time since broadcast left Earth.
d = tnow - broadcast
d = 97
97 light years
Part 2 of 3
Since the radio signal travels in all directions, it
expanded as a sphere with a radius equal to the
distance it has traveled so far. To determine the
number of star systems this signal has reached, we
need to determine the volume of that sphere.
V, =
Vb…
Chapter 10 Solutions
Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
Ch. 10 - What is a habitable zone, and how is the idea...Ch. 10 - Describe several ways in which it may be possible...Ch. 10 - Why do we think that Venus should have outgassed...Ch. 10 - How much water is present on Venus today? How do...Ch. 10 - What is a runaway greenhouse effect, and why did...Ch. 10 - Could Venus ever have had oceans and, if so, could...Ch. 10 - How do we expect the habitable zones of brighter...Ch. 10 - Why is planetary size important to habitability?...Ch. 10 - What factors besides size and distance from the...Ch. 10 - What factors affect the location of the inner...
Ch. 10 - What factors affect the location of the outer...Ch. 10 - Why does the Sun gradually brighten, and how does...Ch. 10 - How and when will Earth become uninhabitable? Why?...Ch. 10 - Briefly describe the eventual fates of the Sun and...Ch. 10 - How do we determine global average temperatures...Ch. 10 - What do ice core data tell us about the past...Ch. 10 - What is the role of climate modeling in...Ch. 10 - Describe several potential consequences of global...Ch. 10 - Decide whether each statement makes sense or does...Ch. 10 - Decide whether each statement makes sense or does...Ch. 10 - Venus is not in the habitable zone now, but a few...Ch. 10 - Decide whether each statement makes sense or does...Ch. 10 - Decide whether each statement makes sense or does...Ch. 10 - Prob. 24TYUCh. 10 - Decide whether each statement makes sense or does...Ch. 10 - Prob. 26TYUCh. 10 - Decide whether each statement makes sense or does...Ch. 10 - Prob. 28TYUCh. 10 - The habitable zone refers to (a) the regions of a...Ch. 10 - A planet that is not within a habitable zone...Ch. 10 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 10 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 10 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 10 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 10 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 10 - Prob. 36TYUCh. 10 - Prob. 37TYUCh. 10 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 10 - Science with Consequences. A small but vocal group...Ch. 10 - The Habitable Zone. Considering the possibility...Ch. 10 - Are Habitable Zone Planets Common? Based on what...Ch. 10 - No Plate Tectonics. Suppose plate tectonics...Ch. 10 - Continuously Habitable Zone. Is Earth in a zone...Ch. 10 - Planetary Changes. Write two or three paragraphs...Ch. 10 - Venuss History. Many people are not surprised to...Ch. 10 - Habitable Moons. As well discuss in Chapter 11,...Ch. 10 - Greenhouse Lessons. While it seems unlikely that...Ch. 10 - Global Warming. Briefly summarize the evidence...Ch. 10 - Massive Stellar Habitable Zone. Consider a star...Ch. 10 - Strength of Sunlight at Venus and Mars. The solar...Ch. 10 - Atmospheric Mass of Venus. The atmospheric...Ch. 10 - Prob. 58IFCh. 10 - The Politics of Global Warming. The current...Ch. 10 - Dealing with Uncertainty. One of the difficulties...
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- What are the three requirements that scientists believe an environment needs to supply life with in order to be considered habitable?arrow_forwardHow can a planet’s atmosphere affect the width of the habitable zone in its planetary system?arrow_forwardIf we do find life on Mars, what might be some ways to check whether it formed separately from Earth life, or whether exchanges of material between the two planets meant that the two forms of life have a common origin?arrow_forward
- Tutorial A radio broadcast left Earth in 1925. How far in light years has it traveled? If there is, on average, 1 star system per 400 cubic light years, how many star systems has this broadcast reached? Assume that the fraction of these star systems that have planets is 0.30 and that, in a given planetary system, the average number of planets that have orbited in the habitable zone for 4 billion years is 0.85. How many possible planets with life could have heard this signal? Part 1 of 3 To figure out how many light years a signal has traveled we need to know how long since the signal left Earth. If the signal left in 1925, distance in light years = time since broadcast left Earth. d = tnow - tbroadcast d = light years Submit Skip (you cannot come back)arrow_forwardWhat is the best way to determine if a exoplanet has life inside it? Group of answer choices Detect the star the exoplanet is orbiting and compare it to the Sun. Detect the exoplanet and determine if it is in the habitable zone of the star. Detect the exoplanet and study the atmosphere of the exoplanet. Detect the exoplanet and determine its age to see if it is similar to the age of the Earth.arrow_forwardHow is a habitable zone likely to change over time? a. get narrower b. move further from the star c. they aren't likely to changearrow_forward
- The principle cause of our intense interest in Mars in the decades before the dawn of the space age was that Answers: A. a few astronomers believed that they saw evidence of an intelligent civilization on Mars. B. Mars has seasons just like the Earth and therefore should be inhabitable by humans. C. Mars has an unusual surface color and global dust storms, creating strange weather patterns. D. Mars has unusual orbital properties making our understanding of its motion around the Sun very difficult.arrow_forwardWhat are the advantages to using radio waves for communication between civilizations that live around different stars? List as many as you can.arrow_forwardWhich of the following seems least reasonable regarding life on Earth? Group of answer choices There is much scientific evidence suggesting that all creatures living on Earth today appear to have evolved from a common ancestor. Louis Pasteur discredited the concept of spontaneous generation by demonstrating that even bacteria and other microorganisms arise from parents resembling themselves. There is ample physical evidence that the earliest life forms on Earth were multicellular creatures, perhaps resembling some of our primitive fish. When the earth formed some 4.6 billion years ago, it was a lifeless, inhospitable place. Before the mid-17th century, most people believed that God had created humankind and other higher organisms and that insects, frogs, and other small creatures could arise spontaneously in mud or decaying matter About billion years into its development, the Earth it was teeming with organisms resembling blue-green algae.arrow_forward
- 7. Complete the table below for the habitability of several solar system planets. Temperature can be hot, moderate, or cold. Amount of atmosphere can be thin, thick, or moderate. Liquid wa- ter amount can be lots, little, or none. Planet Venus Temperature Liquid Water Atmosphere Earth Marsarrow_forwardThe most promising places to look for other habitable planets would be orbiting stars similar to our Sun, or even dimmer than our Sun in our own solar system in other galaxies orbitin bright, giant stars like Betelgeusearrow_forwardHow can a planets atmosphere affect the width of the habitable zone in its planetary system?arrow_forward
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