DISCOVER MAGAZINE - Beyond Earth's blue skies stretches a universe full of possibilities, including countless stars with planets that might support life. While Earth is the only known host of life, astronomers have identified several exoplanets that could potentially support it.
"An exoplanet is a planet that orbits a star other than our Sun,” explains Michelle Hill, an Earth and planetary science researcher at the University of California, Riverside.
One crucial factor in determining a planet's potential for life is its location within the "habitable zone," or "Goldilocks zone," of its star. This region is where conditions are just right for life as we know it, allowing liquid water to exist on a planet's surface – not too hot and not too cold.