Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-x24gv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-11T12:08:48.855Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Chances for Earth-Like Planets and Life Around Metal-Poor Stars

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2017

Hans Zinnecker
Hans Zinnecker*
Affiliation:
Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam, An der Sternwarte 16, 14482 Potsdam, Germany

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

We discuss the difficulties of forming earth-like planets in metal-poor environments, such as those prevailing in the Galactic halo (Pop II), the Magellanic Clouds, and the early universe. We suggest that, with fewer heavy elements available, terrestrial planets will be smaller size and lower mass than in our solar system (solar metallicity). Such planets may not be able to sustain life as we know it. Therefore, the chances of very old lifeforms in the universe are slim, and a threshold metallicty (90% solar?) may exist for life to originate on large enough earth-like planets.

Type
Extrasolar Planets
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 213: Bioastronomy 2002: Life Among the stars , 2004 , pp. 45 - 50
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2004 

References

Allen, C., Poveda, A., & Herrera, M. A. 2000, A&A, 356, 529 Google Scholar
Baraffe, I., Chabrier, G., Allard, F., & Hauschildt, P.H. 1997, A&A, 327, 1054 Google Scholar
Beckwith, S. V. W., & Sargent, A. I. 1996, Nature, 383, 139 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonnell, I.A., Smith, K.W., Davies, M.B., & Horne, K. 2001, MNRAS, 322, 859 Google Scholar
Boss, A. P. 2002, ApJ, 567, L149 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bouchet, P., et al. 1985, A&A, 149, 330 Google Scholar
Gilliland, R. L. et al. 2000, ApJ, 545, L47 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gonzalez, G., Laws, Ch., Tyagi, S., & Reddy, B.E. 2001, AJ, 121, 432 Google Scholar
Hayashi, C., Nakazawa, K., & Nakagawa, Y. 1985, in Prototstars & Planets II, ed. Black, D. C. & Mathews, M. S. (Univ. of Arizona Press), 1100 Google Scholar
Kokubo, E. 2001, Rev. Mod. Astron., 14, 117 Google Scholar
Kokubo, E., & Ida, S. 2000, Icarus, 143, 15 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kornet, K., Stepinski, T.F., & Rozyczka, M. 2001, A&A, 378, 180 Google Scholar
Lineweaver, Ch. H. 2001, Icarus, 151, 307 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mizuno, H. 1980, Prog. Theor. Phys., 64, 544 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sackmann, I.-J., Boothroyd, A. J., & Kraemer, K.E. 1993, ApJ, 418, 457 Google Scholar
Santos, N.C., Israelian, G., & Mayor, M. 2001, A&A, 373, 1019 Google Scholar
Schröder, K.-P. Smith, R. C., & Apps, K. 2001, Astronomy and Geophysics, 42, 26 Google Scholar
Ward, P. D., & Brownlee, D. 2000, in Rare Earth, (New York: Springer)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wetherill, G. W., & Stewart, G. R. 1993, Icarus, 106, 190 CrossRefGoogle Scholar