Introduction
And when it comes to Earth, life has thrived, finding its way into every possible ecological niche, adapting itself through evolution to handle bitter cold, intense heat, the intense pressures at the bottom of the oceans, even cities, living right next to human beings. But could Earth be better? Could there be planets which are super habitable?In a 2016 paper called Superhabitable Worlds accepted by the journal Astrobiology, two physics professors, Rene Heller and John Armstrong, run through the conditions that might make the most habitable possible planet. They propose that stars with less mass than the Sun, classified as K stars, are probably the best candidates for diversity since they’re long-lived and relatively stable. A K-type star will have a lifetime of 20-70 billion years without those pesky red dwarf megaflares.
You would want other planets in the star system, capable of redirecting asteroids and comets with their gravity to deliver water and other chemicals needed for life. Thanks for that, Jupiter.
And ideally, you want multiple habitable planets in the same system, capable of sending life back and forth. A process known as panspermia.
Planet Simulator Tool
Just for giggles and fun, NASA actually has an online software called ROCKE-3D general circulation model (GCM) which can study different points in the history of our own planet and other Solar System terrestrial planets, as well as exoplanets. Check it out!https://data.giss.nasa.gov/rocke3d/maps/
