what planet would i like to live on essay

Living on Other Planets: What Would It Be Like?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live on the moon? What about Mars, or Venus or Mercury? We sure have and that's why we decided to find out what it might be like to live on other worlds in our solar system, from Mercury to Pluto and beyond in a new, weekly 12-part series.

For this series, written by Space.com contributor Joseph Castro, we wanted to know what the physical sensation of living on other worlds would be like: What would the gravity be like on Mercury; How long would your day be on Venus? What's the weather on Titan ?

For the sake of our solar system tour, let's take it as a given that humanity has the futuristic tech needed to set up a base on the planets. So join Space.com each week as we skip across the solar system and see what it would feel like to live beyond Earth. Check out our schedule for the tour through the solar system and beyond below:

Wednesday, Jan. 28 – Mercury

What Would It Be Like to Live on Mercury? The closest planet to the sun is an inhospitable place, and probably not the first choice for human colonization. But if somehow we had the technology, what would it be like for people to live on Mercury?

10 Strange Facts About Mercury (A Photo Tour)   Mercury is a weird place. See just how weird the closest planet to the sun is in our photo tour. 

Living on Mercury Would be Hard (Infogaphic) So you've read what it might be like to be a colonist on Mercury. Now see the details in visual form. Space.com's Karl Tate lays out what livingon Mercury might be like for an astronaut.

More about Mercury:

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• Planet Mercury: Facts About the Planet Closest to the Sun
• How Was Mercury Formed?
• What is Mercury Made Of?
• Mercury's Atmosphere
• How Hot is Mercury?
• How Far is Mercury From the Sun?
• How Big is Mercury?

Tuesday, Feb. 3 – Venus

What Would It Be Like to Live on Venus? From its hellish temperatures to crushing pressures and volcanoes, the planet Venus might be a hard place for an astronaut to set up camp. Here's what it might be like for an astronaut to live on the second planet from the sun. 

Living on Planet Venus: Why It Would Be Hard (Infographic) If you thought Venus was the perfect vacation spot, better think again. See how some if its most hellish aspects would challenge astronauts in this infographic by Space.com's Karl Tate.

The 10 Weirdest Facts About Venus Venus is the brightest planet in our night sky, and one of the strangest. Take a look at some of the oddest facts about this weird world.

More About Venus: 

• Planet Venus Facts: A Hot, Hellish & Volcanic Planet
• How Was Venus Formed?
• What is Venus Made Of?
• How Hot is Venus?
• Venus' Atmosphere: Composition, Climate and Weather
• How Far Away is Venus?
• How Big is Venus?

Tuesday, Feb. 10 – Earth's Moon

What Would It Be Like to Live on the Moon? From its lack of an atmosphere to dusty surface, the moon wouldn't be the most hospitable place for lunar colonizers to find themselves. Find out how they might be able to make the lunar surface a more cozy place to put down roots.

Living on the Moon: What It Would Be Like: Infographic How could you live on the moon? Space.com's Karl Tate explains some of the odds lunar explorers are up against in this infographic.

The Moon: 10 Surprising Lunar Facts Here are 10 amazing and surprising facts about the moon.

More about the moon : 

• Moon Master: An Easy Quiz for Lunatics
• The Apollo Moon Landings: How They Worked (Infographic )
• How the Moon Evolved: A Photo Timeline
• Apollo Quiz: Test Your Moon Landing Memory
• What is the Moon Made Of?
• How Far is the Moon?
• What is the Temperature on the Moon?

Tuesday, Feb. 17 – Mars

What Would It Be Like to Live on Mars? Humans have long-dreamed about potentially colonizing the Red Planet, but what would it really take for humans to comfortably live on Mars?

How Living on Mars Could Challenge Colonists (Infographic ) What kind of challenges would humans face when trying to set up shop on Mars? The thin Martian atmosphere, harsh climate and other factors would make the Red Planet is a tough place for Martian explorers to live, but it could be possible.

More about Mars :

• Moons of Mars: Amazing Photos of Phobos and Deimos
• 10 Years on Mars: Smithsonian Celebrates Spirit, Opportunity Rovers (Photos
• Photos: Ancient Mars Lake Could Have Supported Life
• Mars Myths & Misconceptions: Quiz
• A 'Curiosity' Quiz: How Well Do You Know NASA's Newest Mars Rover?
• How Long Does It Take to Get to Mars?

Tuesday, Feb. 24 – Asteroid Belt

What Would It Be Like to Live On Dwarf Planet Ceres in the Asteroid Belt?   The dwarf Planet Ceres may be round, but it doesn't have much of an atmosphere to speak of. What would it be like for human explorers if they visited this object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter?

Living On Dwarf Planet Ceres in the Asteroid Belt (Infographic )  Learn more about what it might be like for human beings to live on the dwarf planet Ceres in the asteroid belt. 

More about Ceres and the asteroid belt :

• Mysterious Bright Spots Shine on Dwarf Planet Ceres (Photos )
• Dwarf Planet Ceres Coming Into NASA Probe’s View
• NASA Finds Mysterious Bright Spot on Dwarf Planet Ceres: What Is It?
• The Asteroid Belt Explained: Space Rocks by the Millions (Infographic ) 
• The Greatest Mysteries of the Asteroid Belt
• Asteroid Basics: A Space Rock Quiz  

Tuesday, March 3 – At Jupiter

What Would It Be Like to Live on Jupiter's Moon Europa?   What would human explorers visiting Jupiter's icy moon Europa find when they get there? It's possible some form of life might already be there waiting for them.

Living On Europa Explained: Humans Might Not Be First: Infographic Europa is one of the most viable places in the solar system to hunt for life as we know it, but could humans find a way to settle it?

More about Jupiter and its moons :

• Planet Jupiter: Facts About Its Size, Moons and Red Spot
• Jupiter's Moons: Facts About the Largest Jovian Moons
• Europa: Facts About Jupiter's Icy Moon and Its Ocean
• Jupiter Quiz: Test Your Jovian Smarts
• How Far Away is Jupiter?
• Jupiter's Atmosphere & the Great Red Spot
• What is Jupiter Made Of?
• How Was Jupiter Formed?
• What is the Temperature of Jupiter?
• How Big is Jupiter?
• Photos: Europa, Mysterious Icy Moon of Jupiter
• Photos: The Galilean Moons of Jupiter
• Target: Jupiter — 9 Missions to the Solar System's Largest Planet

Tuesday, March 10 – At Saturn, the Ringed Planet

What Would It Be Like to Live on Saturn's Moons Enceladus and Titan? Saturn might not be a place where huamns could live, but its moons Titan and Enceladus might hold more hope for human colonists.

How Humans Could Live on Saturn's Moon Titan (Infographic) Saturn's moon Titan might be the most hospitable place in the solar system for humans to set up shop. What would it be like for a human explorer to hang out on Titan?

More about Saturn and its moons:

• Submarine Explores Saturn's Moon Titan In NASA Animation
• Planet Saturn: Facts About Saturn’s Rings, Moons & Size
• Saturn's Rings: Composition, Characteristics & Creation
• Saturn's Moons: Facts About the Ringed Planet's Satellites
• Enceladus: Saturn's Tiny, Shiny Moon
• How Big is Saturn?
• How Far Away is Saturn?
• Saturn's Atmosphere: All the Way Down
• What is Saturn Made Of?
• How Was Saturn Formed?
• Cassini-Huygens: Exploring Saturn's System
• Titan: Facts About Saturn's Largest Moon

Tuesday, March 17 – At Uranus

What Would It Be Like to Live on a Moon of Uranus? How would it feel to bounce around in the low gravity of Titania or Miranda? Find out what it might be like to colonize the moons of Uranus.

Living on Titania: Uranus' Moon Explained (Infographic ) Get a close-up look at what it could be like to live on Titania, Uranus' largest moon.

More about Uranus and its moons :

• Moons of Uranus: Facts About the Tilted Planet's Satellites
• How Big is Uranus?
• How Far is Uranus?
• Uranus' Atmosphere: Layers of Icy Clouds
• What is the Temperature of Uranus?
• What is Uranus Made Of?
• How Was Uranus Formed?
• Who Discovered Uranus (and How Do You Pronounce It)?
• Planet Uranus: Facts About Its Name, Moons and Orbit
• Inside Gas Giant Uranus (Infographic )
• Photos of Uranus, the Tilted Giant Planet

Tuesday, March 24 – At Neptune

What Would It Be Like to Live on Neptune's Moon Triton? While Neptune doesn't have much of a solid surface under its layers and layers of gas, its huge moon Triton might be a fun (and maybe difficult) place for humans to settle in the solar system.

Living on Triton: Neptune's Moon Explained (Infographic ) Triton could be an interesting place to live in the solar sytem. Learn more about what the first human settlers of the world could possibly find.

More about Neptune and its moons :

• Triton: Neptune's Odd Moon
• Neptune's Moons: 14 Discovered So Far
• How Big is Neptune?
• How Far Away is Neptune?
• Neptune's Atmosphere: Composition, Climate & Weather
• What is Neptune's Temperature?
• What is Neptune Made Of?
• How Was Neptune Formed?
• Planet Neptune: Facts About Its Orbit, Moons & Rings
• Photos of Neptune, The Mysterious Blue Planet
• Moons of Neptune: Giant Blue Planet's 14 Satellites Unmasked (Infographic )
• Inside Gas Giant Neptune
• Neptune Quiz: How Well Do You Know the Other Blue Planet? 

Tuesday, March 31 – At  Pluto

What Would It Be Like to Live on Pluto? How cold would human settlers on Pluto really be? The mysterious dwarf planet will be explored in closer detail when NASA's New Horizons probe flys by the icy body in July.

Living on Pluto: Dwarf Planet Facts Explained (Infographic)   Learn more about what it might be like to live on Pluto, if humans ever make it that far into the solar system.

More about Pluto and its moons : 

• How NASA's New Horizons Mission to Pluto Works Infographic
• Pluto's 5 Moons Explained: How They Measure Up: Infographic
• Pluto: A Dwarf Planet Oddity: Infographic
• Inside Dwarf Planet Pluto
• Destination Pluto: NASA's New Horizons Mission in Pictures
• Photos of Pluto and Its Moons
• Lowell Observatory: Where Pluto Was Discovered
• Clyde Tombaugh: Astronomer Who Discovered Pluto How Big is Pluto?
• How Far Away is Pluto?
• Does Pluto Have an Atmosphere?
• How Cold is Pluto?
• What is Pluto Made Of?
• How Was Pluto Formed?

Tuesday, April 7 – Following a Comet

What It Would Be Like to Live On a Comet Living on comets requires great care — the gravity is so weak that you could easily jump off the frozen bodies and into space. 

Living on a Comet: 'Dirty Snowball' Facts Explained: Infographic Halley's Comet, a dusty ball of ice and frozen gases, spends most of its time in the chilly outland of the solar system. See what it would be like to live on a comet in this infographic.

More about comets:

• Comets: Facts About The ‘Dirty Snowballs’ of Space
• Comet Quiz: Test Your Cosmic Knowledge
• Halley's Comet: Facts About the Most Famous Comet
• Comet 67P: Target of Rosetta Mission
• Best Close Encounters of the Comet Kind
• Photos: Spectacular Comet Views from Earth and Space

Saturday, May 9 – On a Strange New World 

What Would It Be Like to Live on Alien Planet Kepler-186f? There are many unknowns regarding the potentially habitable exoplanet Kepler-186f, but it may have similar light (from its star) and gravity as Earth. 

Living on an Alien Planet: Exoplanet Kepler-186f: Infographic At last humans are able to make educated guesses about what living on alien worlds might be like. Here's what we know about the alien planet Kepler-186f.

Earth-Size Planet Kepler-186f, a Possibly Habitable Alien World: Gallery The alien planet Kepler-186f is a planet only slightly larger than Earth orbiting inside the habitable zone of its red dwarf star. See images and photos of the Kepler-186f planet discovery in this Space.com gallery.

Exoplanet Kepler-186f: Earth-Size World Could Support Oceans and Life: Infographic A rocky planet that could have liquid water at its surface orbits a star 490 light-years away.

More resources on exoplanets:

• Exoplanets: Worlds Beyond Our Solar System
• Alien Planet Quiz: Are You an Exoplanet Expert?
• How Habitable Zones for Alien Planets and Stars Work: Infographic
• 10 Exoplanets That Could Host Alien Life
• 6 Most Likely Places for Alien Life in the Solar System

Follow us @Spacedotcom , Facebook and   Google+ . 

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network . To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik .

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Study Today

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A Place I would like to Live Essay for Students and Children

March 27, 2021 by Study Mentor Leave a Comment

Having a birth of human is a greatest blessing in itself. And having your own house to live in, is icing on the cake. But the human nature is to desire more and more from life. One wish gets fulfilled, the other one spring up immediately. Without any waste of time we get into meeting our next demand.   

It’s very rightly said, “A home is where the heart is”.  

Where ever we go on this planet, the ultimate solace comes in our own home. It’s the place where love and care grows. A lonely home appears much dearer than a crowded place. Crowd may be a place where one cannot find someone to connect with, from heart.  

It’s the place where bonds are selfless and priceless. It’s a place where bonding comes of itself as a god`s gift. Immense happiness marks the address of each home. Stay away from home for quite a sometimes and you will start feeling homesick.   

One may desire for holidays to have change from their monotonous lives. But every ever does anyone wish to go away from comforts of home and stray in world. Home offers an ultimate comfortable zone on this planet. Comfort which not even a five or seven starrer hotel could provide.  

Some one very rightly pen down, “Chase your dreams but always know the road that will lead you home again”.  

However successful one may become but at the end of life`s journey it’s the home we all long for. Home, where one could be one own self and doesn’t have to live up to someone else`s expectations. Not only human beings need home, but also animals and birds too need home. To safeguard their young ones and to rest after day long fatigue, even animals and birds get back to their homes.  

Home is man-made paradise. And if someone gets  the privilege to choose the location of this paradise, it would be a dream come true. Millions of people on this planet are homeless. They don’t have means to arrange shelters for themselves. Lucky are those who are bless with family to care for and home to get back to.  

To quote, “Having somewhere to go is Home. Having someone to love is family. Having both is a blessing”.   

Home not only protects us from various climatic calamities but also they provide us the feeling of belongingness. It gives the idea of someone waiting for us back home while we are away from it.  

If given the choice, I would love to live near a river side. The waterbodies offers much needed serenity and peace of mind. One may send hours looking into river and introspecting. The crowd of busy cities and the lust to have the maximum number of luxuries available has taken away peace of mind of people.   

The cold breeze from the river gives the breath of freshness. It’s the ages old ritual and practice of mankind to reside by river side.  During early age, the evolution the human began near rivers side. The rivers use to provide number of resources which were necessary for human survival.

With development of technologies, mankind he became a settler in cities and town. Here there were other means to earn livelihood. Residing near waterbodies such a river became option only when he/she had no other option.  

The relationship between man and river is very old. With passage of time man got even busier more and the temporary residence along the bank of rivers became the address for relaxation. People choose these resorts as favourite destinations for family vacations.  

But I have inclination towards farming and growing fruits and vegetables. The little space my house in my home town offers me, I grow lot of plants in pots. I have quite a collection of flowering and nonflowering plants in my home`s veranda. Looking at the plants growing is like looking at one`s kids growing. With all the care and nourishment one gives to kids similar is required by plants too.   

To further enhance my favourite time pass I have started growing few vegetables to in my pots. It sometimes takes month for few weeks for sapling to come out from seed. But when it does it gives immense pleasure to heart and souls at the same time.   

I feel when growing plants in pots gives so much pleasure how about growing them in soil. That’s why I have much of inclination for river side residency. I will have much needed fertile soil and the water at the vicinity.  

Though hill stations provide scenic beauty for eyes but the soil of mountains get eroded away too frequently. This makes the life of people on hill station is usually difficult as compare to one on river sides. Moreover hill stations get over crowed during peek vacation months, making life more difficult. But the river offers same serenity throughout the year.   

One may come across various kinds of flora and fauna along with the river sides. Different kinds of fishes with come along sea water are things of beauty. If one is non vegetarian type they have handful of platters that too without paying for. The pre requisite for free platter is that you should be a good fisherman.  

Boating is one of the water sports which people living near river side may enjoy anytime. River rafting is one the adventurous sports which have fascinated me always. Living by the river side will offer me with ample of opportunity for same.  

Winter by the river side could be chilling, letting you enjoy bonfires with family.    

Rivers get over flow during the seasons when ices on mountains melt making the area flood prone. But with growing technologies, man may get timely warnings about the same. They may take precautionary measures for same.  

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Nine Reasons We’re Grateful to Live on Earth

William Steigerwald

1. we can take deep, cleansing breaths, 2. there’s solid ground to stand on, 3. the seasons go round and round, 4. its gravity doesn’t turn us into noodles, 5. we can enjoy a pleasant breeze, 6. it’s a sparkling globe of blue, white and green, 7. it’s got clear skies, sunny days and water we can swim in, 8. dry land exists and the entire world isn’t smothered beneath miles of ice, 9. cream puff clouds that come and go.

Earth can sometimes feel like the last place you’d want to be. Indeed, a number of explorers have devised inventive ways to move civilization off this planet.

It’s no surprise: The promise of a better life in the mysterious beyond can be seductive. But the fact is the more we learn about out there the more we realize how special it is here. The first astronauts to look from space back at Earth, a “pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known,” as scientist Carl Sagan once wrote, saw a beautiful, delicate world that is perfectly suited to the bounty of life it supports.

“When I looked up and saw the Earth coming up on this very stark, beat up lunar horizon, an Earth that was the only color that we could see, a very fragile looking Earth, a very delicate looking Earth, I was immediately almost overcome by the thought that here we came all this way to the Moon, and yet the most significant thing we’re seeing is our own home planet, the Earth,” said William Anders , a crew member on Apollo 8, the first crewed mission to the Moon.   

On this 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, we reflect on nine reasons Earth is the best place to live:

Known as the Red Planet because of the rust particles in its soil that give it a reddish hue, Mars has always fascinated the human mind. What would it be like to live on this not-so-distant world, many have wondered? One day, astronauts will find out. But we know already that living there would require some major adjustments. No longer would we be able to take long, deep breaths of nitrogen- and oxygen-rich air while a gentle spring breeze grazes the skin. Without a spacesuit providing essential life support, humans would have to inhale carbon dioxide, a toxic gas we typically exhale as a waste product. On top of that, the thin Martian atmosphere (100 times thinner than Earth’s) and lack of a global magnetic field would leave us vulnerable to harmful radiation that damages cells and DNA; the low gravity (38% of Earth’s) would weaken our bones. Besides the hardships our bodies would endure, it would simply be less fun to live on Mars. Summer trips to the beach? Forget them. On Mars, there’s plenty of sand, but not a single swimming hole, much less a lake or ocean, and the average temperature is around minus 81 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 63 degrees Celsius). Even the hardiest humans would find the Martian climate to be a drag. —Staci Tiedeken, planetary science outreach coordinator, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Earth has grassy fields, rugged mountains and icy glaciers. But to live on the Sun, we’d have to kiss all solid ground goodbye. The Sun is a giant ball of plasma, or super-heated gas. If you tried to stand on the Sun’s visible surface, called the photosphere, you’d fall right through, about 205,000 miles (330,000 kilometers) until you reached a layer of plasma so compressed, it’s as thick as water. But you wouldn’t float, because you’d be crushed by the pressure there: 4.5 million times stronger than the deepest point in the ocean. Get ready for a quick descent, too. The Sun’s gravity is 28 times stronger than Earth’s. Thus, a 170-pound (77-kilogram) adult on Earth would weigh an extra 4,590 pounds (2,245 kilograms) at the Sun. That would feel like wearing an SUV on your back! If a person managed to hover in the photosphere, though, it might get a little warm. The temperature there is around 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit (5,500 Celsius), about five to 10 times hotter than lava — yet, not nearly the hottest temperature on the Sun. Don’t worry, though, there would be a break of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,600 degrees Celsius) if you stumbled on a sunspot, which is a “cool” region formed by intense magnetic fields. These conditions would have even the most intrepid adventurers longing for the comforts of home. —Miles Hatfield, science writer, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Since the beginning of recorded history, people have tracked and celebrated nature’s transition from the desolate days of winter, to the brilliant radiance of spring, to the endless days of summer, and so on. Seasons come from a planet’s tilt on its axis (Earth’s is 23.5 degrees), which tips each hemisphere either toward or away from the heat of the Sun throughout the year. Venus , barely tilted on its axis, has no seasons, though there are hints that it may have once looked and behaved much like Earth , including having oceans covering its rocky surface. But these days, our neighboring planet has an atmosphere so thick (55 times denser than Earth’s) it helps keep Venus at a searing 900 degrees Fahrenheit (465 degrees Celsius) year round — that’s hotter than the hottest home oven. This oppressive atmosphere also blots out the sky, making it impossible to stargaze from the surface. But Venus isn’t all bad. Despite the low quality of life, there is one benefit of living there: The Venusian year (225 Earth days) is shorter than its day (243 Earth days). That means you can celebrate your birthday every day on Venus! —Lonnie Shekhtman, science writer, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Capturing the imaginations of scientists and sci-fi writers alike, black holes are extremely compact objects that do not let any light escape. The surface of a black hole is an area called the “event horizon,” a boundary beyond which nothing can ever return. Even if we were fortunate enough to have a spaceship that could travel to a relatively nearby black hole, its gravity is so strong that approaching too close would stretch and compress the spacecraft and everyone inside it into a noodle shape — a fate scientists call “spaghettification.” Making matters even weirder, time ticks by more slowly around a black hole. To someone watching from far away as a spaceship fell into the event horizon, the vehicle would appear to slow down more the closer it got — and never quite get there. Fortunately, there are no known black holes in the vicinity of Earth or anywhere in the solar system, so we’re safe for now. And we’re lucky that Earth has just the right amount of gravity — enough so we don’t go flying away, but not so much that we can’t stand up and run around. If you still think traveling to a black hole would be a good idea, check out this black hole safety video . —Elizabeth Landau, writer, NASA Headquarters

Jupiter’s breathtaking swirls of colorful cloud bands might make this planet an appealing vacation destination … for skydivers. They’d need to bring along their own oxygen, since Jupiter’s atmosphere is made mostly of hydrogen and helium (same as our Sun), with clouds of mostly ammonia. Descending through Jupiter ’s clouds is for the most extreme thrill seekers. Given the planet’s strong gravity and super-fast rotation on its axis compared to Earth (10 hours vs. 24 hours), a skydiver would tumble 2.5 times faster than they would on Earth, while getting knocked around by winds raging between 270 and 425 miles per hour (430 to 680 kilometers per hour). Jupiter’s winds make Earth’s highest category hurricane feel like a breeze, and its lightning strikes are up to 1,000 times more powerful than ours. Even if a skydiver does make it through the hundreds of miles, or kilometers, of atmosphere, plus crushing air pressure and extreme heat, it’s not clear they’ll reach a solid surface. Scientist don’t know yet whether Jupiter, a giant planet that can fit 1,300 Earths inside of it, has a solid core. Having solid ground to stand is starting to sound like a luxury. —Staci Tiedeken, planetary science outreach coordinator, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

In places where ocean tides are highest on Earth, the difference between low and high tide is about 50 feet (15 meters). Compare that to Io. This moon of Jupiter is caught in a tug-of-war between the planet’s massive gravity and the pulling of two neighboring moons, Europa and Ganymede. These forces cause Io’s surface to regularly bulge up and down by as much as 330 feet (100 meters) — and we’re talking about rock, not water. All this motion has consequences: Io’s interior is very hot, making this moon the most volcanically active world in the solar system. Io , which from space looks like a moldy cheese pizza, has hundreds of volcanoes. Some erupt lava fountains dozens of miles (or kilometers) high. Between all the lava, a thin sulfur dioxide atmosphere and intense radiation from nearby Jupiter, Io doesn’t offer much of a beach vacation for humans. —Bill Dunford, writer and web producer, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

If there is one place in the universe we know of that could compete with Earth as a home for humans, Titan is it. This satellite of Saturn is the second largest moon in our solar system after Ganymede. Titan is in some ways the most similar world to ours that we have found. Its thick atmosphere would remind us of home, though the air pressure there is slightly higher than Earth’s. The atmosphere would defend humans against harmful radiation. Like Earth, Titan also has clouds, rain, lakes and rivers, and even a subsurface ocean of salty water. Even the moon’s terrain and landscape look eerily similar to some parts of Earth. While Titan sounds promising, it has major flaws. Chief among them is oxygen — there isn’t any in the atmosphere. And those lovely rivers and lakes? They’re made of liquid methane. So don’t pack your bathing suit just yet; our bodies are denser than the methane, so they’d sink like boulders. Another thing you’d miss on Titan is seeing the Sun above your head, dazzling against an azure sky. Not only is Titan much farther from the Sun than is Earth, its hazy atmosphere dims the sunlight, making daytime appear like twilight on Earth. —Lonnie Shekhtman, science writer, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Jupiter’s moon Europa is one of the best places to search for life beyond Earth. It may harbor more liquid water than all of Earth’s oceans combined. Just picture yourself standing on a warm, sandy beach, admiring the sunlight glimmering on an ocean that reaches from horizon to horizon. And then prepare to be disappointed. Europa’s ocean is global. It has no beach. No shore. Only ocean, all the way around. Sunlight doesn’t glimmer on the water and there are no waves because Europa’s ocean is hidden beneath miles — perhaps tens of miles — of ice that encases the entire moon. Europa is also tidally locked, meaning if a person stood on its Jupiter-facing side (like our Moon, one hemisphere always faces its parent planet), the solar system’s largest planet would loom overhead and never set. A sublime setting for a romantic stroll? No. Europa has a practically nonexistent atmosphere and brutally cold temperatures ranging from about minus 210 to minus 370 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 134 to minus 223 degrees Celsius). A spacesuit might help with the temperature and pressure, but it can’t protect against those pesky atomic particles captured in Jupiter’s magnetic field, endlessly lashing Europa with such energy that they can blast apart molecules and ionize atoms. Europa’s ionizing radiation would damage or destroy cells in the human body, leading to radiation sickness. —Jay R. Thompson, writer, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

With more than 4,000 planets discovered so far outside our solar system, called “ exoplanets ,” we don’t know of any that offers the comforts of Earthly living — and many would be downright nightmares. Take Kepler-7b , for example, a gas giant with roughly the same density as foam board. That means it could actually float in a bathtub (fun fact: so could Saturn). Like other exoplanets called “hot Jupiters,” this one is really close to its star — a “year,” one orbit, takes just five Earth days. One side always faces the star, just like one side of the Moon always faces Earth. That means it’s always hot and light on one half of this planet; on the other, night never ends. If you’re bummed out by cloudy days on Earth, consider that one side of Kepler-7b always has thick, unmoving clouds, and those clouds may even be made of evaporated rock and iron. And at more than 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit (1,316 degrees Celsius), Kepler-7b would be a real roaster to visit, especially on the dayside. It’s amazing to learn about how different exoplanets can be from Earth, but we’re glad we don’t live on Kepler-7b. —Kristen Walbolt, digital and social media producer/strategist, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

More information here .

Last Updated: Apr 22, 2020

Editor: Svetlana Shekhtman

Travellers' guide to the solar system: Which planet would you visit?

Science Travellers' guide to the solar system: Which planet would you visit?

Earth is pretty special, with its breathable atmosphere, abundant water and habitable climate. But if we did have the technology to arrive and survive on other planets, what would it be like to stand on them? How would it smell? What other-worldly sights would amaze us?

Suspend reality as we take you for a quick, highly theoretical visit to a few interesting locations in our solar system.

Mercury — a hot place to chill

Welcome to a planet where there's blissfully little going on. It's the perfect place to chill out because there's little in the way of distraction.

First of all, there's no need to worry about the weather forecast. Mercury has no atmosphere — it's been burnt off by the Sun. It's definitely not a destination for storm chasers.

But there's a downside, says Dr Amanda Bauer, astronomer and co-presenter of ABC's Cosmic Vertigo podcast.

"I'd really miss seeing beautiful sunsets and sunrises while on the surface of Mercury. Its lack of atmosphere would not allow for all those beautiful colours from the Sun's scattered light."

There's one important variable on Mercury, and that's the temperature. When the Sun beams down on the grey, dust-covered, cratered surface, the temperature skyrockets to a maximum of 427 degrees Celsius. And that hot, sunny day would seem endless to Earthlings because a day on Mercury lasts for 1,392 hours (or 58 Earth days).

"When the Sun eventually rises it will bring a startling change to the black sky as a blinding ball of fire rises above the horizon and raises the temperature on your skin by hundreds of degrees in seconds," says Dr Alan Duffy, astronomer and Cosmic Vertigo co-presenter.

"Not very romantic."

And once the long day is done, be prepared. The dark Mercury nights are shatteringly cold with temperatures plummeting to minus 173 degrees Celsius.

For something a little bit special there's the ice lurking within the polar craters to check out. But there's not much else happening on Mercury, other than the odd cosmic collision and the occasional earthquake.

And because of its non-existent atmosphere, you'll hear no sounds and smell no odours on Mercury. It truly is a planetary version of the isolation tank.

Hell on Venus

Named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, Venus is ironically pretty close to hellish. The landscape is bathed in an eerie orange haze and the air is thick with cloud. And unlike Mercury, there is a pervasive smell of rotten eggs.

"It's too hot for humans (or our robots) to survive on the surface and there's too much atmosphere to see the stars," says Dr Bauer.

Temperatures can soar to a rather uncomfortable 470 degrees Celsius — even hotter than Mercury — due to an extreme greenhouse effect, where the thick atmosphere traps the Sun's heat. And the weight of all that thick cloudy atmosphere would make hard work of hiking on the planet's rocky surface, says Dr Duffy.

"Trying to stroll through the atmosphere would be exhausting, as the air is so thick it would feel like more like walking through water than air."

Nonetheless, there are some out-of-this-world sights to see on Venus, and first up would be its wacky weather. You need to journey into the upper atmosphere to experience it, but up there you'll find atmospheric lightning bursts and sulphuric acid rain that evaporates long before it hits the ground.

Perhaps one of the strangest things about a trip to Venus would be watching the glow of the Sun move backwards across the sky, since Venus spins in the opposite direction to Earth. Although, thanks to Venus' ridiculously thick atmosphere, the odd sight of sunrise in the west and sunset in the east would be a non-event.

A year on Venus is not too different to the length of its day — the planet takes 225 Earth days to orbit the Sun and 117 Earth days to spin on its axis. So while the days would last forever on this hellish planet, the years would fly by.

Prospect for water on Mars

Mars is currently colonised by robots that trundle around its rocky surface, leaving tracks in its red dust.

"I'd definitely be up for hanging out with the robots on the surface of Mars," says Dr Bauer.

After Mercury and Venus, Mars would be almost a breath of fresh air — except it's not, because you can't actually breathe the air on Mars.

But respiration aside, this is a rugged and fascinating place to visit, with the largest mountain in our solar system (Olympus Mons), ancient volcanoes and plenty of other spectacular features to explore. Temperatures are almost respectable, from highs of 20 degrees Celsius to lows of minus 126 degrees Celsius.

The surface of Mars looks like a rocky desert on Earth, until you glance up at the orange-tinted sky.

At night, that sky is full of stars and you can even spot our home planet. Sunrise and sunset are very much like what you'd see on a hazy day on Earth.

You'd want to time your visit to avoid the giant dust storms. These can form quickly when dust blown into the atmosphere is heated up by the Sun, forming storms the size of continents that last for weeks. And every few years, a massive storm covers the entire planet in dust.

But most exciting would be joining the hunt for water on Mars.

"We've found evidence of salty water flowing during different seasons so that would be fun to explore," says Dr Bauer.

"The robots haven't been able to dig very far below the surface, so I'd do that as a first experiment."

It's raining diamonds and helium on the gas giants

Is it even possible to land on one of the gas giants, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune? Would you fall through and come out the other side?

"Unfortunately, there is no surface to land on," says Dr Bauer.

Visiting spacecraft haven't yet managed to get much detail about what lies at the "surface" or core of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus or Neptune.

"We don't know if there is a rocky core lurking deep within the gas giants in our Solar System, because the spacecraft we've sent haven't been able to survive the extreme pressures and temperatures of the gassy outer layers," says Dr Bauer.

Viewing any of these giant planets from the safety of a nearby spacecraft would be a humbling experience — the sheer size of them is mind-boggling. Jupiter's giant red spot alone is bigger than any of the inner planets.

"The giant red spot is a massive storm that could swallow two Earths side by side, although it is slowly shrinking," says Dr Bauer.

Saturn's rings would also be amazing to see.

"How could anyone resist the trip just to see the rings around Saturn, and their shadows on the massive gas planet?" says Dr Bauer.

Adding to the visual interest would be Uranus, which rolls around the Sun like a ball. It has the most unusual rotation in our solar system — not only does it spin backwards (like Venus) but its spin axis is knocked on its side.

But the really crazy stuff takes place beneath the surface of the swirling clouds, where the high pressure and extraordinary temperatures mean strange things are likely to happen.

Jupiter may have liquid helium rain pouring down through a liquid hydrogen ocean. Further down, this liquid hydrogen turns into a liquid metal, as the pressure increases to the point that electrons are squeezed off the hydrogen atoms.

Uranus and Neptune are thought to have diamond rain, falling into a giant diamond ocean.

Sublime Pluto

After the weirdness of the gas giants, landing on Pluto would be a welcome relief.

A rocky world, covered in ice, you'd definitely have somewhere to stand. And one of the most interesting things to see would be the fine snow made of nitrogen, methane and carbon monoxide. However, if you timed a visit to coincide with Pluto orbiting close to the Sun, you'd see the ice change directly to a gas (a process known as sublimation), creating a thin atmosphere around the dwarf planet.

Pluto has some interesting surface features, including craters, troughs and mountains believed to be formed out of a bedrock of water ice. But you'd need to rug up because Pluto is very cold — the average temperature is minus 229 degrees Celsius.

After a frosty stay in the outer solar system, you'll be ready to head back to the comfort of an environment you evolved to survive in: a liveable climate, a breathable atmosphere, and some great sunsets. A place called Earth.

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Describe your ideal planet you would like to live on.

IELTS essay Describe your ideal planet you would like to live on.

• Structure your answers in logical paragraphs
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• ? Present relevant ideas
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Scientific researchers on a bat-collecting expedition in Sierra Leone. Photo by Simon Townley/Panos

There’s no planet B

The scientific evidence is clear: the only celestial body that can support us is the one we evolved with. here’s why.

by Arwen E Nicholson & Raphaëlle D Haywood   + BIO

At the start of the 22nd century, humanity left Earth for the stars. The enormous ecological and climatic devastation that had characterised the last 100 years had led to a world barren and inhospitable; we had used up Earth entirely. Rapid melting of ice caused the seas to rise, swallowing cities whole. Deforestation ravaged forests around the globe, causing widespread destruction and loss of life. All the while, we continued to burn the fossil fuels we knew to be poisoning us, and thus created a world no longer fit for our survival. And so we set our sights beyond Earth’s horizons to a new world, a place to begin again on a planet as yet untouched. But where are we going? What are our chances of finding the elusive planet B, an Earth-like world ready and waiting to welcome and shelter humanity from the chaos we created on the planet that brought us into being? We built powerful astronomical telescopes to search the skies for planets resembling our own, and very quickly found hundreds of Earth twins orbiting distant stars. Our home was not so unique after all. The universe is full of Earths!

This futuristic dream-like scenario is being sold to us as a real scientific possibility, with billionaires planning to move humanity to Mars in the near future. For decades, children have grown up with the daring movie adventures of intergalactic explorers and the untold habitable worlds they find. Many of the highest-grossing films are set on fictional planets, with paid advisors keeping the science ‘realistic’. At the same time, narratives of humans trying to survive on a post-apocalyptic Earth have also become mainstream.

Given all our technological advances, it’s tempting to believe we are approaching an age of interplanetary colonisation. But can we really leave Earth and all our worries behind? No. All these stories are missing what makes a planet habitable to us . What Earth-like means in astronomy textbooks and what it means to someone considering their survival prospects on a distant world are two vastly different things. We don’t just need a planet roughly the same size and temperature as Earth; we need a planet that spent billions of years evolving with us. We depend completely on the billions of other living organisms that make up Earth’s biosphere. Without them, we cannot survive. Astronomical observations and Earth’s geological record are clear: the only planet that can support us is the one we evolved with. There is no plan B. There is no planet B. Our future is here, and it doesn’t have to mean we’re doomed.

D eep down, we know this from instinct: we are happiest when immersed in our natural environment. There are countless examples of the healing power of spending time in nature . Numerous articles speak of the benefits of ‘forest bathing’; spending time in the woods has been scientifically shown to reduce stress, anxiety and depression, and to improve sleep quality, thus nurturing both our physical and mental health. Our bodies instinctively know what we need: the thriving and unique biosphere that we have co-evolved with, that exists only here, on our home planet.

There is no planet B. These days, everyone is throwing around this catchy slogan. Most of us have seen it inscribed on an activist’s homemade placard, or heard it from a world leader. In 2014, the United Nations’ then secretary general Ban Ki-moon said: ‘There is no plan B because we do not have [a] planet B.’ The French president Emmanuel Macron echoed him in 2018 in his historical address to US Congress. There’s even a book named after it. The slogan gives strong impetus to address our planetary crisis. However, no one actually explains why there isn’t another planet we could live on, even though the evidence from Earth sciences and astronomy is clear. Gathering this observation-based information is essential to counter an increasingly popular but flawed narrative that the only way to ensure our survival is to colonise other planets.

The best-case scenario for terraforming Mars leaves us with an atmosphere we are incapable of breathing

The most common target of such speculative dreaming is our neighbour Mars. It is about half the size of Earth and receives about 40 per cent of the heat that we get from the Sun. From an astronomer’s perspective, Mars is Earth’s identical twin. And Mars has been in the news a lot lately, promoted as a possible outpost for humanity in the near future . While human-led missions to Mars seem likely in the coming decades, what are our prospects of long-term habitation on Mars? Present-day Mars is a cold, dry world with a very thin atmosphere and global dust storms that can last for weeks on end. Its average surface pressure is less than 1 per cent of Earth’s. Surviving without a pressure suit in such an environment is impossible. The dusty air mostly consists of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and the surface temperature ranges from a balmy 30ºC (86ºF) in the summer, down to -140ºC (-220ºF) in the winter; these extreme temperature changes are due to the thin atmosphere on Mars.

Despite these clear challenges, proposals for terraforming Mars into a world suitable for long-term human habitation abound. Mars is further from the Sun than Earth, so it would require significantly more greenhouse gases to achieve a temperature similar to Earth’s. Thickening the atmosphere by releasing CO 2 in the Martian surface is the most popular ‘solution’ to the thin atmosphere on Mars. However, every suggested method of releasing the carbon stored in Mars requires technology and resources far beyond what we are currently capable of. What’s more, a recent NASA study determined that there isn’t even enough CO 2 on Mars to warm it sufficiently.

Even if we could find enough CO 2 , we would still be left with an atmosphere we couldn’t breathe. Earth’s atmosphere contains only 0.04 per cent CO 2 , and we cannot tolerate an atmosphere high in CO 2 . For an atmosphere with Earth’s atmospheric pressure, CO 2 levels as high as 1 per cent can cause drowsiness in humans, and once we reach levels of 10 per cent CO 2 , we will suffocate even if there is abundant oxygen. The proposed absolute best-case scenario for terraforming Mars leaves us with an atmosphere we are incapable of breathing; and achieving it is well beyond our current technological and economic capabilities.

Instead of changing the atmosphere of Mars, a more realistic scenario might be to build habitat domes on its surface with internal conditions suitable for our survival. However, there would be a large pressure difference between the inside of the habitat and the outside atmosphere. Any breach in the habitat would rapidly lead to depressurisation as the breathable air escapes into the thin Martian atmosphere. Any humans living on Mars would have to be on constant high alert for any damage to their building structures, and suffocation would be a daily threat.

F rom an astronomical perspective, Mars is Earth’s twin; and yet, it would take vast resources, time and effort to transform it into a world that wouldn’t be capable of providing even the bare minimum of what we have on Earth. Suggesting that another planet could become an escape from our problems on Earth suddenly seems absurd. But are we being pessimistic? Do we just need to look further afield?

Next time you are out on a clear night, look up at the stars and choose one – you are more likely than not to pick one that hosts planets. Astronomical observations today confirm our age-old suspicion that all stars have their own planetary systems. As astronomers, we call these exoplanets. What are exoplanets like? Could we make any of them our home?

The majority of exoplanets discovered to date were found by NASA’s Kepler mission, which monitored the brightness of 100,000 stars over four years, looking for dips in a star’s light as a planet obscures it each time it completes an orbit around it.

The solar system associated with star Kepler-90 has a similar configuration to our solar system with small planets found orbiting close to their star, and the larger planets found farther away. Courtesy NASA/Ames /Wendy Stenzel

Kepler observed more than 900 Earth-sized planets with a radius up to 1.25 times that of our world. These planets could be rocky (for the majority of them, we haven’t yet determined their mass, so we can only make this inference based on empirical relations between planetary mass and radius). Of these 900 or so Earth-sized planets, 23 are in the habitable zone. The habitable zone is the range of orbits around a star where a planet can be considered temperate : the planet’s surface can support liquid water (provided there is sufficient atmospheric pressure), a key ingredient of life as we know it. The concept of the habitable zone is very useful because it depends on just two astrophysical parameters that are relatively easy to measure: the distance of the planet to its parent star, and the star’s temperature. It’s worth keeping in mind that the astronomical habitable zone is a very simple concept and, in reality, there are many more factors at play in the emergence of life; for example, this concept does not consider plate tectonics , which are thought to be crucial to sustain life on Earth.

Planets with similar observable properties to Earth are very common: at least one in 10 stars hosts them

How many Earth-sized, temperate planets are there in our galaxy? Since we have discovered only a handful of these planets so far, it is still quite difficult to estimate their number. Current estimates of the frequency of Earth-sized planets rely on extrapolating measured occurrence rates of planets that are slightly bigger and closer to their parent star, as those are easier to detect. The studies are primarily based on observations from the Kepler mission, which surveyed more than 100,000 stars in a systematic fashion. These stars are all located in a tiny portion of the entire sky; so, occurrence rate studies assume that this part of the sky is representative of the full galaxy. These are all reasonable assumptions for the back-of-the-envelope estimate that we are about to make.

Several different teams carried out their own analyses and, on average, they found that roughly one in three stars (30 per cent) hosts an Earth-sized, temperate planet. The most pessimistic studies found a rate of 9 per cent, which is about one in 10 stars, and the studies with the most optimistic results found that virtually all stars host at least one Earth-sized, temperate planet, and potentially even several of them.

At first sight, this looks like a huge range in values; but it’s worth taking a step back and realising that we had absolutely no constraints whatsoever on this number just 20 years ago. Whether there are other planets similar to Earth is a question that we’ve been asking for millennia, and this is the very first time that we are able to answer it based on actual observations. Before the Kepler mission, we had no idea whether we would find Earth-sized, temperate planets around one in 10, or one in a million stars. Now we know that planets with similar observable properties to Earth are very common: at least one in 10 stars hosts these kinds of planets.

An artist’s concept shows exoplanet Kepler-1649c orbiting around its host red dwarf star. Courttesy NASA/Ames

Let’s now use these numbers to predict the number of Earth-sized, temperate planets in our entire galaxy. For this, let’s take the average estimate of 30 per cent, or roughly one in three stars. Our galaxy hosts approximately 300 billion stars, which adds up to 90 billion roughly Earth-sized, roughly temperate planets. This is a huge number, and it can be very tempting to think that at least one of these is bound to look exactly like Earth.

One issue to consider is that other worlds are at unimaginable distances from us. Our neighbour Mars is on average 225 million kilometres (about 140 million miles) away. Imagine a team of astronauts travelling in a vehicle similar to NASA’s robotic New Horizons probe, one of humankind’s fastest spacecrafts – which flew by Pluto in 2015. With New Horizons’ top speed of around 58,000 kph, it would take at least 162 days to reach Mars. Beyond our solar system, the closest star to us is Proxima Centauri, at a distance of 40 trillion kilometres. Going in the same space vehicle, it would take our astronaut crew 79,000 years to reach planets that might exist around our nearest stellar neighbour.

S till, let’s for a moment optimistically imagine that we find a perfect Earth twin: a planet that really is exactly like Earth. Let’s imagine that some futuristic form of technology exists, ready to whisk us away to this new paradise. Keen to explore our new home, we eagerly board our rocket, but on landing we soon feel uneasy. Where is the land? Why is the ocean green and not blue? Why is the sky orange and thick with haze? Why are our instruments detecting no oxygen in the atmosphere? Was this not supposed to be a perfect twin of Earth?

As it turns out, we have landed on a perfect twin of the Archean Earth, the aeon during which life first emerged on our home world. This new planet is certainly habitable: lifeforms are floating around the green, iron-rich oceans, breathing out methane that is giving the sky that unsettling hazy, orange colour. This planet sure is habitable – just not to us . It has a thriving biosphere with plenty of life, but not life like ours. In fact, we would have been unable to survive on Earth for around 90 per cent of its history; the oxygen-rich atmosphere that we depend on is a recent feature of our planet.

The earliest part of our planet’s history, known as the Hadean aeon, begins with the formation of the Earth. Named after the Greek underworld due to our planet’s fiery beginnings, the early Hadean would have been a terrible place with molten lava oceans and an atmosphere of vaporised rock. Next came the Archean aeon, beginning 4 billion years ago, when the first life on Earth flourished. But, as we just saw, the Archean would be no home for a human. The world where our earliest ancestors thrived would kill us in an instant. After the Archean came the Proterozoic, 2.5 billion years ago. In this aeon, there was land, and a more familiar blue ocean and sky. What’s more, oxygen finally began to accumulate in the atmosphere. But let’s not get too excited: the level of oxygen was less than 10 per cent of what we have today. The air would still have been impossible for us to breathe. This time also experienced global glaciation events known as snowball Earths, where ice covered the globe from poles to equator for millions of years at a time. Earth has spent more of its time fully frozen than the length of time that we humans have existed.

We would have been incapable of living on our planet for most of its existence

Earth’s current aeon, the Phanerozoic, began only around 541 million years ago with the Cambrian explosion – a period of time when life rapidly diversified. A plethora of life including the first land plants, dinosaurs and the first flowering plants all appeared during this aeon. It is only within this aeon that our atmosphere became one that we can actually breathe. This aeon has also been characterised by multiple mass extinction events that wiped out as much as 90 per cent of all species over short periods of time. The factors that brought on such devastation are thought to be a combination of large asteroid impacts, and volcanic, chemical and climate changes occurring on Earth at the time. From the point of view of our planet, the changes leading to these mass extinctions are relatively minor. However, for lifeforms at the time, such changes shattered their world and very often led to their complete extinction.

Looking at Earth’s long history, we find that we would have been incapable of living on our planet for most of its existence. Anatomically modern humans emerged less than 400,000 years ago; we have been around for less than 0.01 per cent of the Earth’s story. The only reason we find Earth habitable now is because of the vast and diverse biosphere that has for hundreds of millions of years evolved with and shaped our planet into the home we know today. Our continued survival depends on the continuation of Earth’s present state without any nasty bumps along the way. We are complex lifeforms with complex needs. We are entirely dependent on other organisms for all our food and the very air we breathe. The collapse of Earth’s ecosystems is the collapse of our life-support systems. Replicating everything Earth offers us on another planet, on timescales of a few human lifespans, is simply impossible.

Some argue that we need to colonise other planets to ensure the future of the human race. In 5 billion years, our Sun, a middle-aged star, will become a red giant, expanding in size and possibly engulfing Earth. In 1 billion years, the gradual warming of our Sun is predicted to cause Earth’s oceans to boil away. While this certainly sounds worrying, 1 billion years is a long, long time. A billion years ago, Earth’s landmasses formed the supercontinent Rodinia, and life on Earth consisted in single-celled and small multicellular organisms. No plants or animals yet existed. The oldest Homo sapiens remains date from 315,000 years ago, and until 12,000 years ago all humans lived as hunter-gatherers.

The industrial revolution happened less than 500 years ago. Since then, human activity in burning fossil fuels has been rapidly changing the climate, threatening human lives and damaging ecosystems across the globe. Without rapid action, human-caused climate change is predicted to have devastating global consequences within the next 50 years. This is the looming crisis that humanity must focus on. If we can’t learn to work within the planetary system that we evolved with, how do we ever hope to replicate these deep processes on another planet? Considering how different human civilisations are today from even 5,000 years ago, worrying about a problem that humans may have to tackle in a billion years is simply absurd. It would be far simpler to go back in time and ask the ancient Egyptians to invent the internet there and then. It’s also worth considering that many of the attitudes towards space colonisation are worryingly close to the same exploitative attitudes that have led us to the climate crisis we now face.

Earth is the home we know and love not because it is Earth-sized and temperate. No, we call this planet our home thanks to its billion-year-old relationship with life. Just as people are shaped not only by their genetics, but by their culture and relationships with others, planets are shaped by the living organisms that emerge and thrive on them. Over time, Earth has been dramatically transformed by life into a world where we, humans, can prosper. The relationship works both ways: while life shapes its planet, the planet shapes its life. Present-day Earth is our life-support system, and we cannot live without it.

While Earth is currently our only example of a living planet, it is now within our technological reach to potentially find signs of life on other worlds. In the coming decades, we will likely answer the age-old question: are we alone in the Universe? Finding evidence for alien life promises to shake the foundations of our understanding of our own place in the cosmos. But finding alien life does not mean finding another planet that we can move to. Just as life on Earth has evolved with our planet over billions of years, forming a deep, unique relationship that makes the world we see today, any alien life on a distant planet will have a similarly deep and unique bond with its own planet. We can’t expect to be able to crash the party and find a warm welcome.

Living on a warming Earth presents many challenges. But these pale in comparison with the challenges of converting Mars, or any other planet, into a viable alternative. Scientists study Mars and other planets to better understand how Earth and life formed and evolved, and how they shape each other. We look to worlds beyond our horizons to better understand ourselves. In searching the Universe, we are not looking for an escape to our problems: Earth is our unique and only home in the cosmos. There is no planet B.

History of science

His radiant formula

Stephen Hawking’s greatest legacy – a simple little equation now 50 years old – revealed a shocking aspect of black holes

Roger Highfield

What is intelligent life?

Our human minds hold us back from truly understanding the many brilliant ways that other creatures solve their problems

Abigail Desmond & Michael Haslam

Pleasure and pain

Eulogy for silence

Tinnitus is like a constant scream inside my head, depriving me of what I formerly treasured: the moments of serene quiet

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History of ideas

Chaos and cause

Can a butterfly’s wings trigger a distant hurricane? The answer depends on the perspective you take: physics or human agency

Erik Van Aken

Philosophy of mind

Do plants have minds?

In the 1840s, the iconoclastic scientist Gustav Fechner made an inspired case for taking seriously the interior lives of plants

Rachael Petersen

Illness and disease

Getting past ‘it’s IBS’

While science illuminates the gut-brain relationship, doctors remain ignorant and dismissive of patients with gut problems

5 reasons why you should love Earth

Get the dirt on our planet and what makes it so awesome.

The planet is one big party.

Earth is the only planet in our galaxy that can support life. Scientists estimate that Earth is home to about 300,000 plant species, over 600,000 species of fungi, and about ten million animal species. Guess you could say we’re the life of the party.

Earth has a superpower—it sports an invisible shield.

Earth is surrounded by a cloud of gas called the plasmasphere. This cloud interacts with rings of particles that also surround the planet to create an invisible shield. The “armor” deflects superfast electrons that zip through space and could harm Earth if they were able to enter the atmosphere.

This planet is into recycling.

The ground you walk on is recycled. It starts off as sizzling-hot magma deep within the planet’s core. This is pushed up to the surface, where it cools and becomes hard rock. Winds erode the rock , shaving off tiny fragments that get buried back into the earth, where they’re reheated into magma. Then the cycle starts again. Good to know Earth is so green.

Earth is in the perfect position.

Earth spins around a tilted axis, or an imaginary line that runs through the planet from the South Pole to the North Pole . If the planet were angled any differently, or if Earth were even just a little closer to or farther from the sun, temperatures would shift drastically. And that would make life here impossible.

Our planet is a mystery.

About 95 percent of the Earth’s oceans (which make up more than 70 percent of the planet) remain unexplored. Scientists estimate almost a million undiscovered species could live in these unseen seas. Some lands, like parts of the rain forests in New Guinea, are also uncharted. This means that many things on Earth have yet to be discovered.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY VKBHAT, ISTOCKPHOTO; NASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER; ANG WEE HENG JOHN, DREAMSTIME; THEOWL84, ISTOCKPHOTO; PNIESEN, DREAMSTIME

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Essay on Life on Mars

Table of Contents

Scientists and Astronomers from around the world have collated evidences about the possibility of life on Mars. The study about this planet is going on since decades and there is still a long way to go. Many spacecrafts have been sent on Mars in an attempt to understand whether life exists on this planet or is there any scope of inhabiting this planet in future. This is an interesting subject of exploration and has caught the fancy of astronomers since long time.

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The environment of Mars is similar to that of earth in more than one way and this has been a reason for scientific explorations looking for signs of life on the planet. However, mere similarity of environmental factors between earth and mars doesn’t prove that there is life on mars, a claim which needed to be backed by concrete scientific evidences. Beginning in the 19 th century, the quest for life on mars continues even today.

Long and Short Essay on Life on Mars in English

We are providing below essay on Life on Mars in English, to help you with the topic in your exams/school assignments.

These Life on Mars essay will give you an elaborate but simple explanation of the previous explorations and researches for life on mars; why is it more likely to support life etc.

You can select any Life on Mars essay as per your interest and need and present during your class assignment, debate competition, speech, essay writing etc.

Short Essay on Life on Mars 200 words

The existence of life on Mars has been a subject of study since more than a century. Scientists have been trying to collate evidences to figure out whether life has ever existed on this planet or is it inhabited with people presently or if there is any possibility of life on Mars in the future. The research done until now hints that there has never been any life on Mars nor is it inhabited with people currently. However, the possibility of life on the red planet cannot be ruled out completely.

Research shows that surface liquid water was present on Mars during the ancient Noachian period. This made for a habitable atmosphere for microorganisms. However, whether microorganisms ever penetrated on the planet is still a question. Research on the subject is still going on. Today, water on Mars exists in its solid state that is in the form of ice. Some of it also exists as vapour in the planet’s atmosphere.

Scientists have been trying to conduct research on Mars by way of telescopes, spacecrafts and rovers that are helpful in collecting evidences about the condition and nature of this planet. It is interesting and exciting to learn that life on this planet may be possible as its atmosphere is quite similar to Earth.

Essay on If I were on Mars 300 words

Mars is the fourth planet in the solar system. It is positioned just next to Earth and thus scientists and astronomers believe that there could be a possibility of life on this planet just as our planet. The evidences about the presence of water and oxygen on Mars have raised hopes about the probability of life on Mars.

If I Get a Chance to Live on Mars

While the scientists keep sending spacecrafts and rovers on Mars to conduct their research, I often dream about going to the planet to understand if there are any people living there and whether life is actually possible on this planet or not.

I wish I get some special powers to visit Mars and see how the planet really is. If I were on Mars, I would explore every bit of it to learn about it. I would live at different places on the planet to experience the variation in climate. I really wish I could transform Mars into a place which is fit for human civilization if it isn’t already. I want this planet to stay as pure as our Earth was during the beginning of the times.

If I ever got a chance to be on Mars and manage things there, I would grow several plants and make sure the people who eventually come to live on the planet lead a simple life like that of a villager devoid of the high-tech gadgets that are ruining our planet, Earth. I will ensure that there is no pollution on the planet and urge the people living there to contribute in keeping the atmosphere clean.

I want people to learn from the mistakes made on Earth and avoid the same on Mars. We have almost destroyed our beautiful Earth. I wish we do not do the same with the planet which is yet in its pure form.

Essay on My Trip to Mars 400 words

I have been reading news about the possibility of life on Mars since years and have always fancied how it would be like if life can actually be possible on this planet. How many of us will shift to this uninhabited planet and start our life there, how our relatives and friends living on Earth will plan trips to visit Mars, how would life on Mars actually be – will it be like that on Earth or different from it? All these questions come across my mind quite often and I get lost in the dreams of this far-away place. I have even made full-fledged plans of how I would visit the red planet if ever life is possible there.

My Trip to Mars

My trip to Mars is very much on my bucket list. However, I would certainly not rush to the planet as soon as it is declared habitable. I would wait for it to develop for a few years before I plan my visit. I would go to Mars with my friends. I would plan a trip for at least 15 days as I assume I would not get a chance to visit the planet often enough because of the distance and expenses involved. So, I would like to explore each and every corner of this planet on this trip.

We humans are known for demarcating the land and labelling it. I am sure just as Earth; Mars will also be divided into several countries within few years. While some of these countries would be worth spending time in others may be worthy of just a glance. I would talk to the local people on the planet and gather information about how and where all to visit to make the most of the trip. I will visit as many places as I can and try all sorts of cuisines available on Mars. I will shop a lot and take back sovereigns for my dear ones. I will also take a lot of pictures to cherish the memories of the days spent there.

I know my trip to mars is a far-fetched dream. However, I do hope I will get a chance to visit this planet once in my lifetime. I believe our new-age astronomers, scientists and technicians and know they will soon find a way to make this planet fit for human civilization. Until then, I shall visit some places on our planet Earth to seek adventure and gratify the travel enthusiast in me.

Essay on If I were to be the First Human to Visit the Mars 500 words

I aspire to be an astronomer. The celestial bodies fascinate me. My school conducts space workshop every year and I make sure I participate in the same each year. During these sessions, we are told about the Sun, Moon, planets and stars in detail. Besides getting theoretical knowledge about these, we also get a chance to view some of these via telescope which is my favourite part. It is all mesmerizing and my interest in astronomy is increasing with every workshop I attend.

It is the planet Mars that has caught my interest more than any other celestial body. I would definitely plan a manned mission to the red planet when I become an astronomer.

The Fame of Being the First Human to Visit Mars

As keen as I am on going to Mars, I am as much scared to visit the planet alone. I would like to visit the planet with a team of fellow astronomers and technicians. However, I dream of becoming the first person to land on Mars. After all, people only remember the first person to accomplish a mission. The names of the rest are forgotten soon. Just as we all remember Neil Armstrong who was the first to step on the moon. He was accompanied by other astronomers who too stepped on this astronomical body however no one remembers them. Likewise, being the first human to visit Mars will bring me a lot of fame.

My name would be published in every newspaper and flashed on every news channel. It would be a proud moment for me, my family as well as the entire nation. I would receive numerous awards for excellence in my field and for achieving what many could only dream of. I would be remembered for years and years to come. Students across the globe will read about my achievements as a part of their curriculum.

Experience Life on Mars as the First Human on the Planet

I would not just like to visit mars and come back. I would like to live there for few weeks to experience how life on Mars really is. Mars is known to be rich in minerals. I would like to explore the kind of minerals available there and also collect some to bring back home in order to conduct further research on them. I would like to experience and understand how life on Mars would actually be and that can only happen if I stay there for long. I would also carry few seeds to the planet and see if they grow there in a couple of weeks. I would explore different parts of the planet to experience the kind of climate it has.

If I would be the first person to visit Mars, the expectation from my research on the planet would be extremely high. I will spend most of my time studying the atmosphere and condition of the planet to see if it is fit for human civilization.

My interest in exploring Mars is increasing by the day. I aim to work hard and become an astronomer as I grow up to further my mission of being the first human to visit Mars.

Long Essay on Life on Mars 600 words

Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, is said to have certain similarities with Earth when it comes to its atmosphere. This may be because of its proximity to our planet. This planet has been studied more than any other in the solar system. Every now and then there is news about new evidence indicating the probability of life on the red planet.

Possibility of Life on Mars

The first evidence of life on Mars was found as early as the 19 th century. Since then the planet has caught the interest of the scientists and astronomers around the world. Numerous research operations have been conducted to find out whether life exists on Mars or if it ever did or can. Researchers claim that Mars is quite like our planet Earth when it comes to its atmosphere although it gets much colder.

Though oxygen is present on the planet its environment is not considered fit for human inhabitation. While there have been evidences of liquid water on Mars in the past, today most of the water on the planet is locked in its polar ice caps. This has resulted in the planet’s land becoming barren. The curiosity rover that was sent to the red planet recently helped in exploring the planet further. The rover dug some land on Mars and discovered three different kinds of organic molecules on the planet which indicates the possibility of some kind of life form on the planet.

If there was Life on Mars

I often wonder how interesting it would be if there was life on Mars and the concept of aliens which is shown in various Hollywood and Bollywood movies was actually true. I really wish, the researchers soon find some aliens on Mars and are able to bring them to Earth for research. It would be super exciting. We will learn so much about the planet with the help of those aliens. We will understand the kind of hardships faced on the planet and the joys of living there. I wish we soon find out that Mars supports life and we can inhabit it.

I wish after this discovery, we humans are given a choice about whether we wish to live on Earth or Mars or take a trip to Mars just as we visit other cities and countries. Special aircrafts would be made to take people from Earth to Mars. We would be able to explore a whole new world and meet people who are completely different from us or may be have some similarities.

I really wish that if people actually exist on Mars they are not as selfish as those living on Earth. I would like to leave Earth and live on this newly explored planet. I would like to experience life on that planet at least for few years. It would be so exciting to meet new people, learn new languages, and eat new kinds of cuisines and pet different types of animals. Due to the difference in the climatic conditions of Earth and Mars, the flora and fauna of the two planets is not likely to match. We will thus get a chance to witness newer varieties of plants and animals on Mars. I really wish Mars is not yet perturbed with technology and that people on that planet live in harmony with nature. It would be blissful living in such a place.

Whether Mars is or will ever be fit for inhabiting is a question which is still likely to take several decades to answer. Numerous researches have already taken place in this regard and many others are going on. I really wish we get some crucial evidence on life on Mars soon.

Essay on Life on Mars FAQs

What is the life on mars.

There is no confirmed life on Mars yet; scientists are still exploring.

What is a short paragraph about Mars?

Mars is a planet in our solar system, often called the 'Red Planet' due to its rusty appearance.

Can people live on Mars essay?

People can't live on Mars without advanced technology and life support systems.

How do humans live on Mars?

Humans could live on Mars with life support and creating habitats.

There is no known life on Mars; it's a focus of scientific research.

What is the Mars essay?

An essay about Mars would talk about its features, exploration, and potential for human colonization.

What is the conclusion of life on Mars?

The conclusion about life on Mars is that it's a challenging environment, and more research is needed to understand its potential for life and human settlement.

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What's it Like to Live in Space?

• Space Exploration
• An Introduction to Astronomy
• Important Astronomers
• Solar System
• Stars, Planets, and Galaxies
• Weather & Climate

• M.S., Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Colorado - Boulder
• B.S., Education, University of Colorado

Why Should We Study Living in Space

Ever since the first humans were sent to space in the early 1960s , people have studied the effects it has on their bodies. There are many reasons to do this. Here are just a few:

•    to make it safer for humans to go to space
•    to learn to live for long periods of life in space
•    to get ready for eventual colonization of the Moon , Mars, and nearby asteroids .

Admittedly, the missions where we will live on the Moon (now that we've explored it with the Apollo and other missions) or colonize Mars ( we already have robotic spacecraft there ) are still some years away, but today we DO have people living and working in near-Earth space on the International Space Station . Their long-term experiences tell us a lot about how it affects their physical and mental health.

Those missions are good 'stand-ins' for future trips , including lengthy trans-Mars trips that will take future Marsnauts to the Red Planet. Learning what we can about human adaptability to space while our astronauts are close to Earth is good training for future missions. 

What Space Does to An Astronaut's Body

The important thing to remember about living in space is that human bodies didn't evolve to do that. They're really made to exist in the 1G environment of Earth. That doesn't mean people can't or shouldn't live in space. Not any more than they can't or shouldn't live underwater (and there ARE long-term inhabitants of the sea bottom. If humans are to venture out to explore other worlds, then adapting to living and working space will require all the knowledge we need about doing that. Of course, it also means adapting to entirely different ways of doing such things that we all take for granted here on Earth, such as taking care of personal hygiene and doing exercises.

The biggest issue that astronauts face (after the ordeal of launch) is the prospect of weightlessness. Living in a weightless (really, microgravity) environment for long periods of time causes muscles to weaken and a person's bones to lose mass. Loss of muscle tone is mostly abated with long periods of weight-bearing exercise. This is why you often see images of astronauts doing on-orbit exercise sessions each day. Bone loss is a bit more complicated, and NASA also gives its astronauts dietary supplements that make up for the loss of calcium. There is quite a lot of research into treatments for osteoporosis that might be applicable for space workers and explorers. 

Astronauts have suffered from blows to their immune systems in space, cardiovascular system changes, vision loss, and sleep disturbances. There's also a great deal of attention being paid to the psychological effects of space flight. This is an area of life sciences that is still very much in its infancy, particularly in terms of long-duration space flight. Stress is certainly one factor that scientists want to measure for, although there have not been cases of psychological deterioration among astronauts so far. However, the physical stresses that astronauts experience could play a role in crew fitness and teamwork. So, that area is being studied, too. 

Future Human Missions to Space

The experiences of astronauts in the past, and the year-long experiment astronaut Scott Kelly did during his last mission will all be very useful as the first human missions to the Moon and Mars get underway. The experiences of the Apollo missions will be useful, too. Life scientists are studying everything from the food astronauts eat, to the clothes they wear, to the exercise regimens they follow.

For Mars, in particular, the trip will include an 18-month trip in weightlessness TO the planet, followed by a very complex and difficult settling-in time on the Red Planet . Conditions on Mars that colonist-explorers will face include a much lower gravitational pull (1/3 of Earth's), much lower atmospheric pressure (Mars's atmosphere is about 200 times less massive than Earth's). The atmosphere itself is largely carbon dioxide, which is toxic to humans (it's what we exhale), and it's very cold there. The warmest day on Mars -50 C (about -58 F). The thin atmosphere on Mars also doesn't stop radiation very well, so incoming ultraviolet radiation and cosmic rays (among other things) could pose a threat to humans. 

To work in those conditions (plus the winds and storms that Mars experiences), future explorers will have to live in shielded habitats (perhaps even underground), always wear space suits when outdoors, and learn quickly how to become sustainable using the materials they have at hand. This includes finding sources of water in the permafrost and learning to grow food using Mars soil (with treatments). 

In addition, with the onset of long-term living habitats on other worlds such as Mars, people will undoubtedly want to start families there. This brings up a whole new set of medical challenges for people who want to get pregnant in space or on other planets in the distant future.

Living and working in space doesn't always mean that people will live ON other worlds. During transport to those worlds, they'll need to cooperate to survive, work to keep their physical conditions good and live and work in traveling habitats that will be designed to keep them safe from solar radiation and other hazards in interplanetary space. It will very likely take people who are good explorers, pioneers, and willing to put their lives on the line for the benefits of exploration. 

• The Future of Human Space Exploration
• Bringing Humans to Mars is a Challenge
• What Happens to the Human Body in a Vacuum?
• How to Train to be an Astronaut
• Biography of Scott Kelly, Astronaut Who Spent a Year in Space
• Reasons for Humanity to Go Back to the Moon
• Journey Through the Solar System: Planet Mars
• Space First: From Space Dogs to a Tesla
• Should We Build a Moon Base?
• Project Gemini: NASA's Early Steps to Space
• Soyuz 11: Disaster in Space
• Personal Hygiene in Space: How it Works
• Space Chimps and their Flight Histories
• The Space Race of the 1960s
• The History of the Chinese Space Program
• Neil Armstrong Quotes

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Living on Another Planet Essay, in this topic we will present  a 500 word essay and sentences for all educational levels. We will talk about space and the possibility of living on Mars.

Is living on a planet other than Earth possible or impossible? This is what we will talk about in detail below.

 We will introduce a presentation on living in space to university students, where they are asked to write sentences and terms about space colonization.

• Living on Another Planet Essay

We also know that the solar system has several planets other than Earth. All of these planets revolve around the sun and have one or more moons. And when people began noticing that the globe had been polluted with what their hands had made, they decided to go out to space and look for an alternative homeland.

Countries have spent on these space flights incalculable sums. These expeditions go to discover any planet suitable for life, that it contains water under its soil, or that there is any trace of other life in it.

Is there life outside Earth?

In the middle of the twentieth century scientists moved to search for any evidence of the existence of any life outside the planet. The life they are looking for is not for huge creatures like the ones on planet Earth, but they are looking for creatures that can’t be seen with the naked eye.

For this reason, they developed several telescopes and sent vehicles to collect samples from the moon’s surface, in order to analyze and look at them closely.

While the scientists searched for any form of life, the people on the planet were feeling the thrill, as they began to unleash their imaginations.

So they started making films about this topic. Each writer used his own imagination to express what he saw as real. Some of them portray aliens as good creatures and will help us to live on other planets and save humanity. Some of them portrayed it as hostile and would destroy humanity. But in fact, there is no life outside the planet so far.

Why do scientists believe there is life in space?

Scientists infer their claim to the existence of life in outer space, the planet Earth itself and its nature, they say it is similar to what happened and is happening in other planets of the solar system. According to them, the rest of the planets of the group may receive life in line with its nature, as the planet Earth received man.

They say that life on planet Earth was a simple life and then evolved over millions of years. The same could happen for the other planet. Where you have very tiny organisms and over time will evolve and appear larger and more intelligent beings as humans appeared on Earth.

The search for life in space

NASA decided to send the first mission to space with the purpose of searching for life, and that was in 1964. And it began sending signals to space with calculations or pictures of humans.

The purpose of sending these signals was to be heard by any rational being in space, and to respond to them by revealing the presence of life.

The research did not stop, but the funding allocated to it increased, and 350 antennas were installed so that they could receive signals that might come to them from far space.

And the research didn’t stop there, but they launched “City at Home”, a project that gets everyone to share their knowledge of space online.

Journey to Mars

After several years and after a large number of attempts, NASA managed to go to Mars for the first time in 2012. Mars was the dream that astronomers expected to come true and find life on it. But after landing on it, visualizing it and collecting samples, no life appeared on it.

However, scientists did not back down from searching inside the Martian soil, as they went again and dug under the surface of Mars.

At first, they did not find anything, but as the drilling continued and with time, specifically in 2015, NASA announced that they had found water on Mars.

What do we need in space to live in it?

Humans have their own nature, they need several factors to say that this place is livable or not. Humans need oxygen in order to breathe. They need water to drink and water the crops. And they need carbon, hydrogen and amino acids.

Without these things, people would not survive.

And we will not forget the temperature, as humans live in certain temperatures, they do not tolerate extreme heat or extreme cold. Therefore, we must live on a planet that is located at a reasonable distance from the sun, so that it is neither near nor very far, and this applies to planet Earth.

Our planet is one

After several years of searching for extraterrestrial life, and after searching for another planet for humans to live on, we have come to the fact that the Earth is unique. And it is the only planet equipped with everything that helps humans to live comfortably and safely.

Therefore, we must focus all our efforts on taking care of this planet and preserving it from pollution and destruction.

The solution is not to let our planet die and search for another planet. Searching for another planet and giving hope for an alternative to it makes people more and more violate this blue planet, which has no alternative except in science fiction films.

At the end of  Living on Another Planet Essay , we talked about the continuous efforts made by scientists to search for an alternative to planet Earth, and what they eventually reached.

And we learned the importance of this planet, which scientists used to say is undistinguished, but we discovered that it is distinguished in its position in relation to the sun and distinguished in its air, soil and water content, which reaches about 70% of its area. And in the end, we must all preserve our planet.

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Essay on Save Earth for Students and Children

500+ words essay on save earth.

Earth and the resources of earth make life possible on it. If we were to imagine our lives without these resources, that would not be possible. As life cannot function without sunshine , air, vegetation , and water . However, this is soon going to be our reality if we do not save the earth now.

The resources earth provides us with are limited. They are blessings which we do not count. Human has become selfish and is utilizing the earth’s resources at a rapid rate. We need to protect them in order to protect our lives. This is so because man and all living organisms depend on the earth for their survival.

It is The Need of the Hour

To say that saving the earth is the need of the hour would be an understatement. All the activities of humans driven by greed and selfishness have caused immense damage to the earth. It is degraded it beyond repair. Almost all the natural resources are now polluted due to these activities.

When all these resources will be under threat, naturally lives of all living organisms will be under peril. This is why we need to save the earth at all costs. All the other issues are secondary and saving the earth is the main concern. For when the earth will not remain, the other issues will go away automatically.

Earth is the only planet which can sustain life on it. We do not have a planet B which we can move onto. This makes it all the more serious to save the earth and save our lives. If we do not take strict actions now, we will lose the chance of seeing our future generations flourish forever. Everyone must come together for the same causes, as we are inhabitants of this planet firstly and then anything else.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

How to Save Earth

As all human activities are impacting the lives of other organisms, humans only need to take steps to protect the earth and its resources. A little effort will go a long way on everyone’s end. Each action will make a difference. For instance, if one man decides to stop drinking bottled water, thousands of plastic can be saved from consuming.

Furthermore, we can start by planting more trees to make up for the deforestation that is happening these days at a rapid rate. When we plant more trees, ecological balance can be restored and we can improve the quality of life.

Similarly, we must stop wasting water. When done on individual levels, this will create a huge impact on conserving water. We must not pollute our water bodies by dumping waste in it. It is essential to save water most importantly as it is running out rapidly.

In short, the government and individuals must come together to save the earth. We can make people aware of the consequences of not saving the earth. They can be taught ways and how they can contribute to saving the earth. If all this collective effort starts happening, we can surely save our planet earth and make brighter earth.

{ “@context”: “https://schema.org”, “@type”: “FAQPage”, “mainEntity”: [{ “@type”: “Question”, “name”: “Why must we save the earth?”, “acceptedAnswer”: { “@type”: “Answer”, “text”: “We need to save earth right away as it is the only planet that can sustain life. Earth supports life forms which no other planet does. Moreover, all the resources are being used up rapidly so we need to save them before they all get used up.”} }, { “@type”: “Question”, “name”: “How can we save the earth?”, “acceptedAnswer”: { “@type”: “Answer”, “text”:”Everyone can take little steps to save the earth. We must not waste water and avoid the use of plastic. Moreover, we must plant more trees and encourage people to not pollute the environment.”} }] }

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See a Minnesota morning anchor come out as gay on live TV: 'I'm so nervous right now'

Minnesota news anchor Jason Hackett recently attended a basketball game with his partner of five years. And for the first time, he didn't care if anyone was watching them.

“He had his hand on my knee, and we were obviously together and I didn’t give a damn about what people thought,” Hackett, 36, tells TODAY.com .

“A lot has changed in the last two months,” he adds.

In May, Hackett came out as gay on NBC affiliate KARE 11’s “Sunrise” show, where he’s worked since January 2023.

“I lived in this glass closet where my friends and coworkers knew I was gay, but never my audience,” Hackett, a 13-year broadcast veteran, explains. “I kept it to myself.”

Hackett says there were knots in his stomach before the camera threw to him on the morning of May 3.

“There was a moment where I was like, ‘Oh my God, am I really going to do this?’” Hackett recalls. “When that red light came on, my heart was beating through my chest."

Then, he says, "the words started flowing."

“Coming out to people is never easy for me. I’m so nervous right now. I’m not going to lie,” Hackett told viewers. “This is no doubt the most people I’ve ever come out to at once. But what me … and everyone here on ‘Sunrise’ strive for, is authenticity. And I can’t preach that without being my authentic self.

“For anyone that is watching this now, who is struggling to find acceptance, or struggling with their family or friends, take it from me, a gay Black son of immigrants, the road may not be easy, I won’t lie to you and say that it is — but don’t worry, keep going,” he continued. “You’re going to make it.”

Hackett’s co-anchor Alicia Lewis was visibly emotional while meteorologist John Zeigler, gestured to goose bumps on his arm.

“I’m so proud of you,” Zeigler said.

Hackett says he left the studio feeling “100 pounds lighter.”

“A huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders,” Hackett says. “I was so relieved. It feels like gay people are constantly coming out to new people — you come out to your barber, and your butcher — and it’s scary every single time. Now that I’ve come out to the entire world, I don’t have to worry anymore.”

Hackett says he has received messages of support from all around the world. He notes that many of the people who have reached out are of Caribbean descent and can relate to his experience.

Hackett’s parents are from Jamaica, a country that he describes as not especially “LGTBQ+-friendly.”  

“The first time I came out was to my mom when I was 19, and then we didn’t talk about it for a while. I think she was hoping it was a phase and that I just hadn’t found the right girl yet,” Hackett reveals. “A few years later, I came out again. I wrote them a letter, and that didn’t go over too well. I should have had a face-to-face conversation, but I was scared.”

The third time Hackett came out to his parents, he showed them a picture of his boyfriend.

“That’s when it really set in for them,” Hackett says.

Though Hackett’s mom and dad haven’t met his partner, he hopes that one day they will.

“I’m not mad at my parents, and I don’t blame my parents. I know it’s tough,” he says. “Things are starting to get a little better. My mom isn’t in a place of full acceptance, but there’s never been any doubt that my parents love me.”

Hackett wants LGBTQ+ youth who are struggling to hold on, and he wants them to know his Instagram DMs are open.

“I know what it feels like to think, ‘I’m never going to find acceptance. I have to change who I am or I’m going to have to hide forever,” Hackett says. “Know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Live freely and love openly and be proud of who you are. It really does get better."

Rachel Paula Abrahamson is a lifestyle reporter who writes for the parenting, health and shop verticals. Her bylines have appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, and elsewhere. Rachel lives in the Boston area with her husband and their two daughters. Follow her on Instagram .

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Is there life on another planet? Gliese 12b shows some promise. | The Excerpt

On a special episode (first released on Wednesday, June 26th) of The Excerpt podcast: The age-old question has been debated for centuries. Might we soon get an answer? The planet that is the current focus of international inquiry is called Gliese 12b, an Earth-sized exoplanet that’s only 40 light years away. The first step in answering this question has to do with determining a planet's habitability. In this respect, Gliese 12b shows some promise. What’s next on the road to solving one of mankind's oldest riddles? Michael McElwain, a NASA scientist at the James Webb Space Telescope center, joins The Excerpt to share insights regarding this revolutionary new development.

Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it.  This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

Podcasts:  True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here

Dana Taylor:

Is there life on another planet? The age-old question that has been debated for centuries might soon get an answer. Hello and welcome to The Excerpt, I'm Dana Taylor. The planet that is the current focus of international inquiry is Gliese 12 b, an Earth-sized exoplanet that's only 40 light years away. It might even be habitable. What's next on the road to answering these and other exciting questions? Joining us today to share insights regarding this exciting new development is Michael McElwain, a NASA scientists at the James Webb Space Telescope Center. Thanks for joining me today, Mike.

Michael McElwain:

Thanks so much for having me.

You were part of this international team who discovered Gliese 12 b, how exciting of a moment was this for you? Was this a career high?

Yeah, this is a tremendously exciting new exoplanet. Gliese 12 b is the nearest transiting temperate Earth-sized planet that we found to date. And this was actually, it was a long process for discovering this planet. So it was initially identified as a exoplanet candidate by NASA's TESS mission. That's a mission that's been operating for about six years now, looking at approximately 200,000 stars and is looking for this characteristic dimming of the star for when a planet passes in front of the star. And so TESS has actually discovered 7,000 planet candidates to date, about 400 of them have been confirmed and I was part of a team that confirmed the exoplanet status for Gliese 12 b.

Let's get to some of the basics about Gliese 12 b. First, what is an exoplanet and what are the biggest factors you look for in determining a planet's habitability?

So there are eight planets in our solar system orbiting the sun. Our sun is an average type star. There's planets orbiting other stars, and we call those other planets exoplanets. And we're actually in the middle of an exoplanet revolution right now. It's happening. The first exoplanet discovered was orbiting around the sunlight star was in 1995. And over the past 30 years, we've discovered over 5,000 exoplanets. So if you go outside at night and you look up at the sky and you're looking at different stars, we now know that on average every star has at least one exoplanet orbiting around it. And one in five of those stars have planets that are orbiting at the right separation where they could have liquid water.

So as part of what helps determine a planet's habitability, does it have to do with whether liquid water exists or also atmosphere?

There are a lot of factors that contribute to habitability. We think liquid water is an essential ingredient for life here on earth, and for complex life we think liquid water is required. It's the key element for chemical reactions that take place in animal and plant cells. For habitability on the Earth, there are a lot of factors. So we think that the atmosphere plays an important factor, we also think the Earth's magnetic field is an important factor as well.

So if Gliese 12 b doesn't have an atmosphere, if that's the case, do we just move on?

Interestingly, the Earth's initial atmosphere that it was formed with we think was stripped away. And so what we have now is actually called a secondary atmosphere, or in the case of the Earth, actually even a tertiary atmosphere. And so our atmosphere is primarily composed of material that was outgassed from the interior of the earth. We think that Mars and Venus had atmospheres that were also secondary atmospheres. For rocky exoplanets, we're just at the very beginning. We just now have the capability of observing these exoplanets and determining whether or not they have atmospheres. And Gliese 12 b is a terrific candidate to do those measurements to determine whether or not it has an atmosphere. Right now, the observations that we've made today, we don't know whether or not Gliese 12 b has an atmosphere. We think there's a very good chance that it does. This is a really key question for Gliese 12 b. We had the ability to make these observations with the James Webb Space Telescope that was launched at the end of 2021 and is now doing exoplanet atmospheric characterization. If there's time awarded to do these observations with the James Webb Space Telescope, we'll have a spectrum of Gliese 12 b's atmosphere in about two years.

I was going to ask, without sending a team to the planet to do this research, how does your team go about answering these kinds of questions? Is the James Webb Telescope the only way to get the answers right now?

The initial discovery of this exoplanet was using a method called the transit method. And so this system happens to be oriented such that the planet passes this directly in front of the star and actually blocks out some of the starlight. So some of the listeners might have participated in the total solar eclipse or observed that. So it's rather than blocking out the entire star, it's actually just a very small fraction of the starlight that gets blocked. So you could take on the order of 1%. Those systems that transit are actually amenable to characterization of the atmosphere. So we first see that the planet is transiting, then we have the ability to go back and make very precise measurements. Light that is emitted from the star passes through the atmosphere of the planet, if it exists, and some of that light is filtered and we can actually observe the composition of the atmosphere.

So let's play a few hypothetical scenarios here. Let's say the Gliese 12 b ends up having an atmosphere similar to Earth's and it also has liquid water, where do you go from there?

So for Gliese 12 b, we won't be able to determine if there's liquid water on the surface. So in the atmosphere we'll be looking for water vapor. We know based on our current observations that Gliese 12 b orbits in what we call the habitable zone, planets need to orbit at the right separation from their stars so they're not too hot and they're not too cold, so there can be conditions where liquid water exists on the surface. And we think that Gliese 12 b is in the range where it could have liquid water on the surface. With the James Webb Space Telescope, we will not be able to determine conclusively if there is liquid water on the surface. So what we can look for is signs of water in the atmosphere and other indications that the temperature is such that we could have liquid water on the surface.

And are there other exoplanets that you're studying right now that might be habitable?

So there are a handful of other exoplanets known that are transiting in a medieval to atmospheric characterization with the James Webb Space Telescope. And those are being observed as well. In fact, the James Webb Space Telescope just observed the very first atmosphere of a rocky exoplanet 55 Cancri e. So that was a exciting discovery. That planetary atmosphere was actually, we think has a magma ocean and there's some outgassing of material that's creating this secondary atmosphere. And so that's just the very first step. You had mentioned before whether or not we could actually travel to this planet, Gliese 12 b. So the planet we know is 40 light years from Earth, and that's actually interstellar travel is something that we haven't done before. We've sent probes to every planet in the solar system. And so that's enabled us to have new information about those planets. We know that the nearest star Proxima Centauri has a planet Proxima Centauri b that's also orbiting in the habitable zone.

We've measured that indirectly with a radial velocity technique. So we're unable to make atmospheric characterizations like we are with Gliese 12 b. But that object is only four light years away. And so there is a team that's working on sending probes to that Proxima Centauri b, that project's called Breakthrough Starshot. And what's happening there is they're actually very small spacecraft that would have a solar sail that are sped up by laser light that can speed them to about 20% the speed of light. And so if they were able to achieve those speeds with this fleet of small spacecraft, they could arrive at Proxima Centauri in 20 years. Then after they arrive, they could take data. It would take four years to send that data back to Earth. Gliese 12 B is 40 light years away. So it would take about 200 years to send the small spacecraft out to Gliese 12 b, and then it would take 40 years to send that data back. So that's a very long time to wait. We have observatories now that we're using like the James Webb Space Telescope, and we're also planning future telescopes that can make even more precise measurements and look for other exoplanets.

So Mike, you're telling me to be patient. Does habitability at all answer the question of whether or not there is life on another planet?

We now know that about 20% of stars have planets that orbit in the right separation such that they could have liquid water. We know that there are about 100 billion stars in our galaxy, and so that means that there are about 20 billion stars that have planets that are orbiting in the right separation, have liquid water. So there's a lot of opportunity for life to exist. Back in the early 1960s, there was a famous scientist named Frank Drake, and he actually came up with this pretty simple equation to estimate how likely it is for life to exist on another planet. And so you need to know the number of stars, the number of stars that have planets orbiting in this habitable zone, the frequency of which life exists on those exoplanets, and then the frequency of which life becomes complex and intelligent, and finally the frequency of the civilizations that exist now.

And so there's a tremendous abundance of exoplanets and opportunities for life to exist. So NASA has just started designing a new space telescope called the Habitable Worlds Observatory, and it is actually setting out to discover Earth-like exoplanets and study their atmospheres for signs of life. And so if you were to go far away from earth and observe its atmosphere, you would know that life exists here based on what you see in the atmosphere. And so we're applying the same principles to study other planets with direct imaging with this Habitable Worlds Observatory.

And then what excites you the most about what you might discover with this project and other projects going forward?

So the Habitable Worlds Observatory is NASA's next flagship mission. It's going to follow the Roman space Telescope that is set to launch at the end of 2026. And the goal of the Habitable Worlds Observatory is to study the atmospheres of at least 25 exoplanets looking for signs of life. And that is going to happen in the next 25 years or so and will help us answer this question of whether or not life is common in the universe and whether or not we're alone here in the universe.

And what's your best guess?

Yeah, I'm optimistic. I really think we as humans have thought that the Earth occupied this special space, and the more we've learned, the more we've been able to look. We know that now exoplanets are very common. We know that a lot of them exist in the habitable zones. And so I think that it's very likely we will find other Earth-like planets that show signs of life and humanity will be able to continue exploring and someday we will go to those other worlds.

Mike, thank you so much for being on The Excerpt.

Thanks for having me.

Thanks to our senior producer Shannon Rae Green for production assistance. Our executive producer is Laura Beatty. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to [email protected]. Thanks for listening. I'm Dana Taylor, Taylor Wilson will be back tomorrow morning with another episode of The Excerpt.

1. Opinion Questions: In the future it may be necessary for us to live on other planets. For this reason, some people believe that we should spend money now to research other planets, such as Mars. What extent do you agree or disagree?

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