Would Planet Mars Be Classed As In The "Goldilocks Zone"?

We are told that some of the new exoplanets that have been discovered lately are within what is know as "The Goldilocks Zone" i.e they are near enough to their host star that they may support life, much as The Earth is close enough to our own sun.
However, we are told that Mars Curiosity has found what could be evidence that Mars could have supported primitive forms of life long ago. The question is does Mars come within the Goldilocks Zone, as it is on average a further 40 million miles from the sun than Earth is? Or in simple terms what is the distance of the Goldilocks zone?

reply to post by alldaylong


There are other factors than distance, and of course distance depends on the energy being put out by the star. In addition, the discovery of Super Earths have caused them to develop an extended zone, as large planets can retain more of the needed attributes, etc.

Although the aphelion of planet Venus and the complete orbits of the Moon, the planet Mars and dwarf planet Ceres are within the habitable zone, the varying atmospheric pressures of these planets, rather than the habitable zone, determines their potential for surface water.

(wikipedia)

So, yes, it is within the zone, but the low pressure of Mars may put it out of the running.

Originally posted by Gazrok
reply to post by alldaylong

 

There are other factors than distance, and of course distance depends on the energy being put out by the star. In addition, the discovery of Super Earths have caused them to develop an extended zone, as large planets can retain more of the needed attributes, etc.

Although the aphelion of planet Venus and the complete orbits of the Moon, the planet Mars and dwarf planet Ceres are within the habitable zone, the varying atmospheric pressures of these planets, rather than the habitable zone, determines their potential for surface water.

(wikipedia)

So, yes, it is within the zone, but the low pressure of Mars may put it out of the running.

Thank you for that info

I think what you are saying that every time an exoplanet is discovered there are many variables that need to be considered for it to have a possibility of supporting life.