The Orbits of Terrestrial Planets in the Habitable Zones of Known Exoplanetary Systems
Abstract
Description
We show that terrestrial planets could survive in variously restricted regions of the habitable zones of 47 Ursae Majoris, Epsilon Eridani, and Rho Coronae Borealis, but nowhere in the habitable zones of Gliese 876 and Upsilon Andromedae. The first three systems between them are representative of a large proportion of the 90 or so extrasolar planetary systems discovered by mid-2002, and thus there are many known systems worth searching for terrestrial planets in habitable zones. We reach our conclusions by launching putative Earth-mass planets in various orbits and following their fate with a mixed-variable symplectic integrator.
5 pages, 1 Figure. To appear in the ASP Conference Series, 'Scientific Frontiers in Research on Extrasolar Planets', edited by Deming and Seager
5 pages, 1 Figure. To appear in the ASP Conference Series, 'Scientific Frontiers in Research on Extrasolar Planets', edited by Deming and Seager