We all know the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. A little girl was looking for something to eat and a place to rest, when she wandered into an environment that – after a few experiments – had everything necessary to be “just right”… at least until the bears came home! Now, experience humankind’s search for a planet with conditions which would be “just right” in A Planet for Goldilocks.
In 1995, astronomers detected 51 Pegasi, the first exoplanet – a planet orbiting a star other than our sun. Since that time the search for a planet like Earth, one with temperatures, oceans, and an atmosphere like ours has been a little like Goldilock’s search for a decent bowl of porridge: some are too hot, some are too cold, but a few are “just right.”
This program explores the ongoing search for just such an exoplanet – in the habitable zone – where an exoplanet might even support life.
