The thin line of Earth's atmosphere and the setting sun are featured in this image photographed by the crew of the International Space Station while space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-129 mission was docked with the station.NASA
A team of researchers has posed the question, “why we orbit a yellow (G-dwarf) star instead of a red (M-Dwarf) star?” Based on observations of the sky, red stars are more common than yellow stars. Because the Earth is the only planet yet known to support life, our position around a yellow star raises questions about whether or not other star types could be capable of supporting habitable planets.
The paper analyzes this problem using Bayesian inference, a statistical method used to update the probability of a hypothesis based on the input of new information. The team suggests that life with cognitive capabilities similar to our own, and in the present time and place, is more likely to be found around smaller stars
The study, “Why do we find ourselves around a yellow star instead of a red star?” was published in the International Journal of Astrobiology. The work was supported through NASA’s Habitable Worlds Program. NASA Astrobiology provides resources for this and other Research and Analysis programs within the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) that solicit proposals relevant to astrobiology research.