Planetary habitability

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/planetary-habitability

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific discipline?Astrobiology, a multidisciplinary field integrating astronomy, biology, geology, and chemistry
2. What is the key cataloging institution?The Planetary Habitability Laboratory (PHL) maintains a catalog of potentially habitable exoplanets

Planetary Habitability: The quantitative measure of a planet's potential to develop and sustain an environment hospitable to life.
Exoplanet: A planet orbiting a star outside of our solar system, detected through methods like transit photometry and radial velocity.
Habitable Zone: The region around a star where surface temperatures could allow liquid water to exist on a planet's surface.