1. What is a Habitable Zone?

2. What is a Habitable Zone?
Planets must be in the “just right” zone around a star, where it is not too cold (too far away) or not too hot (too close).
too cold
Habitable zone
too hot
Star

3. What is a Habitable Zone?
Stars that are too large or too hot do not live long enough for planets to evolve around them.

4. What is a Habitable Zone?
Stars that are too small or too cool require planets to be so close that they become tidally locked, meaning they do not rotate. If a star doesn’t rotate, one side is in constant night (freezes – too cold) and the other side is in constant day (boils – too hot).

5. What is a Habitable Zone?
A medium-sized yellow star like the Sun is the most likely type of star to have a habitable zone.