This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Earth seems like a troubled place right now, but at least our cosmic surroundings appear peaceful. This is not universally true, as explosions, collisions and other dangers lurk in other places and times.
In our new research, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, we scoured simulated universes to find the friendliest locations for life. We discovered something reassuring: the sun, sitting here in the outskirts of the Milky Way galaxy, is about as good as it gets. Regions of the universe that would be friendly toward life are known as habitable or Goldilocks zones—they're just right.
Whether life is actually there is another question. As astronomers and biologists explore how life could form on exoplanets (planets outside the solar system), astrophysicists follow the structure and evolution of the universe to identify the nicest places, as well as those where life could be snuffed out in an instant. For example, there is a Goldilocks zone in the immediate neighborhood of stars.
Too hot or too cold will not do. This "circumstellar habitable zone" is just right for liquid water instead of steam or ice. Zooming out, we can look for the nicest places and times to live in our own Milky Way galaxy.
A young star that's too close to the galactic center will suffer in the hustle and bustle of all the nearby stars, while stars that are too far away will be in a sterile environment, devoid of the chemicals essential for life. Just as Earth is in the sun's circumstellar habitable zone, the sun is in the Milky Way's "galactic habitable zone." Let's zoom out even more. What about other galaxies?
We followed synthetic galaxy evolution using the EAGLE (Evolution and Assembly of GaLaxies and their Environments) project—one of the most realistic simulations of the observed universe. The simulations track the expansion of space, gravity's pull and the physics of gas, stars and black holes, and provide us with a detailed map of what the universe looks like across hundreds of millions of light-years. With such a map, we asked: Where might life be most welcome?
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