Goldilocks Planets No Fairy Tale

Throughout the twentieth century, it was not all that uncommon to hear of graduate physics students running down the halls calling out, "We found a new one!"  Such a claim usually meant that a new elementary particle had been observed in the lab, be it the muon or gluon.  The count for such particles has remained at sixteen for some time.  The large hadron collider may soon allow the long theorized but ever evasive Higgs Boson to be observed, thereby raising the tally to seventeen.  This discovery would complete the list theorized by what is commonly referred to as the standard model.

These days, when physicists are found doing their celebratory dances, it is usually because a new planet has been discovered.  And, if that planet happens to be a Goldilocks planet, they really bust a move.

Goldilocks planets lie a distance from their star such that the surface temperature can allow for water in liquid form.  Like the porridge in the famous fairy tale, the surface temperature of such planets are not too hot or too cold; they are just right.  Planets in the "Goldilocks Zone" for a given star may be conducive for the evolution of life.  And, if other conditions are met, it is possible that other communicable societies currently call the surfaces of such planets their home.  However improbable this may be, the fact that it is not impossible is one reason why the discovery of such planets is cause for celebration among physicists and astronomers, and why it is thought-provoking for us all.