Circumstellar habitable zone
Zona habitable circunestelar
- Date
- 1993 · confidence medium
- Place
- Pennsylvania State University, United States
- Credited to
- James Kasting, Daniel Whitmire, Ray Reynolds (earlier concept: Su-Shu Huang, 1959)
- People
- 👤 James Kasting1953–👤 Ray Reynolds1936–2023
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
What was discovered
Kasting and colleagues used climate models to define the orbital band where liquid water can exist on the surface, a key criterion for classifying potentially habitable exoplanets.
Icy ocean worlds show that habitability is not confined to this zone.
What it led to
- Selection of exoplanet targets
- Quantitative astrobiology
- Habitability indices