Determining Habitability in the Milky Way Galaxy

Navya Sahay, Sanah Bhimani

Physics and Astronomy, Astronomy and Cosmology, Habitability, Exoplanets.

Habitability is a new, evolving concept that has captured the interest of many over the past few years. With the advent of new technology, the boundaries of exoplanetary research have been pushed and new insights into the nature of life have been gained. The criteria for what makes a planet habitable and whether the likelihood of life can be predicted is debatable. This research paper aims to connect the stellar and planetary characteristics to their evolution when studying habitability. It aims to create a classification for factors affecting habitability and also presents a guiding framework that can be used to determine the habitability of the planet. The paper connects the framework to pre-existing knowledge and data about habitability derived from Venus, the evolution of life on Earth, and Kepler 452-b.

https://doi.org/10.31871/IJNTR.7.10.27