SCIENCE RESEARCH PAPER

Earth’s Environmental Problems - Why are we finding a new planet in the

first place?
1. Global Warming
a. Draught
b. Melting of Ice glaciers
2. Climate Change
3. Pollution
a. Air
b. Water
c. Land
4. Lost of Habitat
5. Biodiversity Loss

Qualities of a habitable planet

1. Temperature
● According to NASA, In order for a planet to be considered as habitable, it needs
to be within the habitable zone or goldilocks zone since it’s not too hot for water
to evaporate, nor too cold for water to be frozen. Let’s use our own home ‘Earth’
as an example:
Sources:
- What is the habitable zone or “Goldilocks zone”? – Exoplanet
Exploration: Planets Beyond our Solar System.
- What Is the Habitable Zone?
● The Sun’s habitable zone extends from around the orbit of Venus to the orbit of
Mars. Venus is closer to the sun than Earth. It’s 108,000,000 million km.
(67,000,000 million miles) away from the sun. Even though Mercury is closer to
the sun, it’s considered to be the ‘Hottest Planet’ with a temperature of 900
degrees Fahrenheit (475 degrees Celsius) due to the high amount of greenhouse
gasses that traps the heat from the sun. (Barnett, 2023)
❖ According to the Lunar and Planetary institute, too much temperature from
the Sun, starting from 125 degrees celsius can break apart molecular
structures that’s essential for life. For example: Protein (Building Blocks of
Matter), DNA (Blueprint of Life), RNA, and more.
Sources:
- Overview | Venus – NASA Solar System Exploration.
- NASA - Solar System Scale
- Factors that Contribute to Making a Planet Habitable
 ● Meanwhile, Nasa states that Mars is farther than the sun and the earth. It's
228,000,000 million km (142,000,000 million miles) away from the sun. It’s colder
than the Earth since the average temperature of Mars is -80 degrees Fahrenheit.
(Wild, 2021). According to Cool Cosmos, there is water on Mars, but it’s covered
with a dry sheet of ice, due to low temperatures.
❖ According to the Lunar and Planetary institute, not enough temperature
from the sun can result in a slower chemical reaction that’s essential for
life. For example: Photosynthesis, it’s a process where oxygen is made
from conversion of carbon dioxide and water into food to glucose and
oxygen. Chemical Formula: CO2 + 6 H2O + light → C​6H12O6 + 6 O2. If the
temperature happens to be cold, the process of Photosynthesis can’t
happen or it’ll be much slower.
Sources:
- What Is Mars? | NASA
- Is there water on Mars? | Cool Cosmos.
- NASA - Solar System Scale
- Factors that Contribute to Making a Planet Habitable
- Chemical Reactions That Happen In Your Everyday Life

● Comparing the two from the Earth, the Earth is distanced in the middle part of the
Habitable Zone or the Goldilock Zone. It’s 150.43 million km (93 million miles)
away from the sun. The Earth is neither hot, nor cold with average temperature of
- 59°Fahrenheit (15 degrees celsius).
❖ According to the Lunar and Planetary institute, Life can still exist under -
15 degrees celsius to 115 degrees celsius.
Source:
- NASA - Solar System Scale
- Factors that Contribute to Making a Planet Habitable

Additional Note: The habitable zone also depends on the size and the temperature of
the star. For instance, Proxima Centauri has one planet in the habitable zone, because
it's small and not as bright as the sun. Kepler 19 on the other hand is very similar to our
sun but the planets are so close to it that it leaves the habitable zone.

● However, it’s important to keep in mind that there are planets that aren't still
habitable despite having the right position. For instance, exoplanets orbiting
around a star that consists of a high amount of x-ray and UV flux from flares
that'll strip away the atmosphere around the planet. Causing it to be airless.
 Therefore, in order for a planet to be habitable, it should also consist of other
qualities such as atmosphere, hydrosphere, and other factors that can sustain
life.

2. The mass of the exoplanet

● According to ‘The Conversation’ if a planet is too big, for instance 10x larger than
the Earth’s Mass, it’ll get more gas that could potentially be a gas planet. In which
is undoubtedly impossible to be considered as a habitable planet. For example,
Saturn (5.68 x 1026 kilograms. Approximately 95 times bigger than the mass of
the Earth) and Jupiter (1.89813 × 1027 kilograms. Approximately 318 times
bigger than the mass of the Earth.)
Source:
- What makes one Earth-like planet more habitable than another?.
- How Big Is Saturn? - The Diameter, Mass and Volume Explained |
Space.
- Mass of Jupiter - Universe Today.
● On the other hand, it’s also similar, when the Planet is too small, because its
gravity won’t be enough to hold the atmosphere together. According to Isaac
Newton’s law of universal gravitation, the mass and distance of the planet is
proportional to the gravity it’ll have. It’s because mass consists of tiny particles
called gravitons that’s responsible for gravity. That’s why they both have a direct
relationship with each other. (Space Environment, n.d.)
❖ However, according to the article of ‘Harvard School of Engineering and
Applied Science’ about the research of Constantin Arnscheidt on impacts
of mass for habitable planets, states that if an object is 2.7% lower to the
mass of the Earth, its atmosphere will escape before It can create water.
For example, a moon with 1.2% of Earth’s Mass, couldn’t maintain its
atmosphere. Same with Mercury with 5.53% of Earth’s Mass, even though
it’s bigger than the moon, its heat results in decline of surface water and
atmosphere.
❖ If not less than 2.7%, even if it's smaller than earth, with low gravities, it
can expand its atmosphere when it gets warm, so does its absorption and
radiation to heat. This is explained by atmospheric expansion that keeps
greenhouse gasses to sustain surface water.
❖ With surface water, there's a higher chance for the habitability of the
Planet.
 Source:
- Why do mass and distance affect gravity?
- https://seas.harvard.edu/news/2019/09/goldilocks-zone-planet-size
- What makes one Earth-like planet more habitable than another?.
- Why do mass and distance affect gravity?. .

3. The presence of water / hydrosphere -

● The National History Museum’s Article states that Water is the most important
aspect for a habitable planet. Same stands for other articles such as ‘National
Library of Medicine,’ ‘Lunar and Planetary institute’, ‘American Society for
Microbiology,’ and ‘Nasa.’ But, why so?
I. Water is the main ingredient for most of the chemical processes essential for life.
It serves as a solvent that breaks down or dissolves more substances. For
example, photosynthesis, even though light is present with good temperature, but
no water, it can’t happen.
II. In the presence of heat, condensation happens. This makes water responsible for
the atmosphere that includes oxygen that helps us breathe.
III. Most of the cyanobacteria are present in the water. Research has stated that
these little bacteria are responsible for the habitability of the earth. Back then,
sunlight wasn't enough to create an atmosphere since they quickly reacted to
methane that locks them to Earth’s Crust. But, cyanobacteria helped the earth by
photosynthesis where it oxidized water as their food, thus creating oxygen.
IV. Water is flexible since It’s able to conduct heat more than the atmosphere, which
helps warm the air within the surface. It also has a melting and cooling point, and
lets light pass through it.
Sources:
- Biological regulation of atmospheric chemistry en route to
planetary oxygenation | PNAS
- Eight ingredients for life in space | Natural History Museum.
- 3.4. Why is water so important for life as we know it? | Astrobiology
Learning Progressions | Education
- Factors that Contribute to Making a Planet Habitable
- The Great Oxidation Event: How Cyanobacteria Changed Life.

4. The presence of atmosphere:

● Atmosphere is the blanket that protects the exo-planet from too much heat and
radiation from the sun. Ck-12 Article states that the atmosphere consists of
carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen and water vapor.
Add info: Greenhouse effect is where heat is trapped in the earth surface to keep us warm, but too much greenhouse gasses
can cause higher temperatures that’s harmful for the planet and the biosphere living here.

❖ Carbon Dioxide:
- Other than water, CO2 is also the main requirement for the photosynthesis
process to happen. Without carbon dioxide, there will be no oxygen.
- It’s an important greenhouse gas that absorbs and re-release heat from
the earth’s surface to different directions. It helps in warming the whole
 planet, however as of now there is so much carbon dioxide that causes
climate change and global warming.
❖ Nitrogen:
- It’s a key component of amino acids that creates protein, nucleic acids and
other forms of enzymes that’s essential for plant growth. Without them,
humans can’t live on that planet.
❖ Oxygen:
- It’s a primary ingredient for continuous growth of living things and by also
maintaining them. For example, in humans, we need oxygen in order to
breathe. Without it, our organs such as the lungs, heart, and brain won’t
function.
❖ Water vapor:
- It’s the result of the greenhouse effect because the hotter the planet is, the
more water vapor exists in the sky.
Altogether creates a climate for the planet which cools and warms the earth.
Source:
- Climate Change: Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide.
- The Importance of Nitrogen.
- respiration and breathing | AMNH.
- Steamy Relationships: How Atmospheric Water Vapor Amplifies
Earth's Greenhouse Effect – Climate Change.

5. The moon of the exoplanet:

According to the University of Arizona and NASA, an exoplanet doesn't need to
have a large moon in order to be habitable, but having it makes life more
comfortable. By using Earth as reference, we benefit from it, because it's
responsible for the length of the day, causing ocean tides due to gravitational
pull, and stable earth's climate.

According to inside science, Without moon for the Earth (Reference for what
could life be on other habitable planets if the moon is rather small or there's no
moon at all):
• Without a moon, a planet has a potential to have high ocean tides.
• Climates are unstable, leading to extreme seasons.
Source:
- What Would Happen If There Were No Moon? | Inside Science.

Additional Note: According to the planetary society, rogue planets (planets with no
orbits) still have a chance to be habitable, because hypothetically, with the help of
strong ultraviolet light from young stars, hydrogens within the atmosphere are still
intact. With these, rogue planets won’t have to rely to other sun to get heat, they’ll just
produce internal heat, enough to sustain life on a planet.
Is life possible on rogue planets and moons? | The Planetary Society.

6. Magnetic Field of an exoplanet:

● Magnetic Field benefits the Planet by protecting it from solar wind that
could potentially remove the atmosphere and water (that's mentioned
above) away from the planet. An example of this are Mars and Venus,
since their lack of magnetic field results in a lack of atmosphere. Also,
magnetic fields are responsible for harmful radiations that the sun or star
provides. Most of the magnetic field is caused by the planet's core, for
example, the earth's core is what forms our magnetic field.
● In summary, with no magnetic field, the atmosphere and water around a
planet will also go away despite being in the habitable zone, having the
right mass, and etc.

Source:
- https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.P42B..01B/abstrac
t
- NASA Investigates Invisible Magnetic Bubbles in Outer Solar
System

7. The presence of tectonic plates

Katharine Huntington, a Geologist at the University of Washington, said that...
“Plate tectonics is what modulates our atmosphere at the longest timescales. You need that to be
able to keep water here, to keep it warm, to keep life chugging along.”
Source: Why Earth’s Cracked Crust May Be Essential for Life | Quanta Magazine

By using the earth as reference:

According to quanta magazine, tectonic plates are essential for the unique
characteristics of the Earth, and it can too with other planets!

With the help of tectonic plates, they created coastlines, tides (just like the moon), and
important chemistry in the oceans that makes it full of life and essential nurtients. In
addition, researchers in Australia published a study regarding seafloor containing
copper, zinc, selenium and cobalt that are essential for life.
It’s the reason also for creating “The ring of fire” which is responsible for the unique
volcanisms of the earth. Also, without tectonic plates, it sustains the planet’s
thermostat. Hence, carbon dioxide in the planet is regulated with the help of plate
tectonics movement.

Stagnant Lid Planets are planets with no tectonic plates, because there are no cracks
around it for subduction to exist. However, it doesn’t mean that life can’t exist without
them, since according to studies, stagnant lid planets can maintain water for billions of
years, that’s helpful for evolution.
Source:
- Why Earth’s Cracked Crust May Be Essential for Life | Quanta
Magazine
- Plate tectonics not needed to sustain life | Penn State University.

8. The presence of volcanic activities

Volcanism is another essential thing for a planet to be considered habitable, because it
creates atmosphere and maintains water which can sustain life for everyone.
(BERNSTEIN, 2023) According to NASA, it regulates the atmosphere, for instance
carbon dioxide is cycled between the mantle and the atmosphere.

Sources:
- https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/news/196/seeking-life-on-other-worlds
-check-for-vol canoes/

9. Nutrients available for living organisms

National Geographic Society states that nutrients are necessary for life since they are
chemical compounds that break down food to provide energy. According to the Lunar
and Planetary Institute, they are chemicals that make carbohydrates and proteins.

Sources:
- https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/nutrient/
- https://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explore/our_place/hab_ref_tabl
e.pdf