Earth-like habitability is unique in the Solar System and an important activity is therefore to advance comparative planetology beyond the Solar System to identify planets orbiting other stars that potentially are, or have been, habitable.
Currently exoplanets are recognized in a wide range of planetary systems. The physical parameters of the central stars and planets are quite diverse, and of the nearly 5000 known planets, as few as 5% are potentially Earth-like in terms of mass and orbital distance.
A key observable for Earth-like habitability today is a highly oxygenated atmosphere, an ozone layer, and low levels of CO2. But the Earth’s atmosphere has changed dramatically over billions of years, habitable conditions have existed in many shades, and thus the age of a planetary system is critically important.
Work Packages: Exo-Earths
- Observational Constraints (Werner, Conrad)
- Exo-Planet Formation (Werner, Conrad)
- Exo-Planet Structure (Conrad, Werner)
- Exo-Planet Evolution (Werner, Torsvik)
- Fate of Habitable Planets (Torsvik, Conrad)
All research themes and work packages
The research at the Centre for Planetary Habitability is performed in three themes: