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Article

Habitable Zones in Binary Star Systems: A Zoology

by
Siegfried Eggl
1,2,3,*,
Nikolaos Georgakarakos
4 and
Elke Pilat-Lohinger
5
1
Rubin Observatory, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
2
Department of Astronomy, DIRAC Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
3
IMCCE, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Univ. Lille, 75014 Paris, France
4
Division of Science, New York University Abu Dhabi, P.O. Box 129188 Abu Dhabi, UAE
5
Insitute for Astrophysics, University of Vienna, 1180 Vienna, Austria
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Galaxies 2020, 8(3), 65; https://doi.org/10.3390/galaxies8030065
Submission received: 1 April 2019 / Revised: 19 August 2020 / Accepted: 27 August 2020 / Published: 4 September 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Habitability of Planets in Stellar Binary Systems)

Abstract

Several concepts have been brought forward to determine where terrestrial planets are likely to remain habitable in multi-stellar environments. Isophote-based habitable zones, for instance, rely on insolation geometry to predict habitability, whereas radiative habitable zones take the orbital motion of a potentially habitable planet into account. Dynamically informed habitable zones include gravitational perturbations on planetary orbits, and full scale, self consistent simulations promise detailed insights into the evolution of select terrestrial worlds. All of the above approaches agree that stellar multiplicity does not preclude habitability. Predictions on where to look for habitable worlds in such environments can differ between concepts. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of current approaches and present simple analytic estimates for the various types of habitable zones in binary star systems.
Keywords: binary stars; exoplanets; habitable zone; astrobiology binary stars; exoplanets; habitable zone; astrobiology

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MDPI and ACS Style

Eggl, S.; Georgakarakos, N.; Pilat-Lohinger, E. Habitable Zones in Binary Star Systems: A Zoology. Galaxies 2020, 8, 65. https://doi.org/10.3390/galaxies8030065

AMA Style

Eggl S, Georgakarakos N, Pilat-Lohinger E. Habitable Zones in Binary Star Systems: A Zoology. Galaxies. 2020; 8(3):65. https://doi.org/10.3390/galaxies8030065

Chicago/Turabian Style

Eggl, Siegfried, Nikolaos Georgakarakos, and Elke Pilat-Lohinger. 2020. "Habitable Zones in Binary Star Systems: A Zoology" Galaxies 8, no. 3: 65. https://doi.org/10.3390/galaxies8030065

APA Style

Eggl, S., Georgakarakos, N., & Pilat-Lohinger, E. (2020). Habitable Zones in Binary Star Systems: A Zoology. Galaxies, 8(3), 65. https://doi.org/10.3390/galaxies8030065

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