Habitability of Earth-type Planets and Moons in the Kepler-16 System

Abstract

We demonstrate that habitable Earth-mass planets and moons can exist in the Kepler-16 system, known to host a Saturn-mass planet around a stellar binary, by investigating their orbital stability in the standard and extended habitable zone (HZ). We find that Earth-mass planets in satellite-like (S-type)orbits are possible within the standard HZ in direct vicinity of Kepler-16b, thus constituting habitable exomoons. However, Earth-mass planets cannot exist in planetary-like (P-type) orbits around the two stellar components within the standard HZ. Yet, P-type Earth-mass planets can exist superior to the Saturnian planet in the extended HZ pertaining to considerably enhanced back-warming in the planetary atmosphere if facilitated. We briefly discuss the potential detectability of such habitable Earth-mass moons and planets positioned in satellite and planetary orbits, respectively. The range of inferior and superior P-type orbits in the HZ is between 0.657 to 0.71 AU and 0.95 to 1.02 AU, respectively.

14 pages, 3 figures, 1 table; Astrophysical Journal (in press)

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Cited by in corpus (12)

• S-Type and P-Type Habitability in Stellar Binary Systems: A Comprehensive Approach. II. Elliptical Orbits
• Surface Flux Patterns on Planets in Circumbinary Systems, and Potential for Photosynthesis
• Orbital Stability of Exomoons and Submoons with Applications to Kepler 1625b-I
• Circumbinary Habitability Niches
• A target list for searching for habitable exomoons
• Where to Find Habitable "Earths" in Circumbinary Systems
• Exomoons in Systems with a Strong Perturber: Applications to $\alpha$ Cen AB
• Effects of Flux Variation on the Surface Temperatures of Earth-like Circumbinary Planets
• Fitting Formulae and Constraints for the Existence of S-type and P-type Habitable Zones
• Mean Motion Resonances With Nearby Moons: An Unlikely Origin For The Gaps Observed In The Ring Around The Exoplanet J1407b
• On the Detection of Habitable Trojan Planets in the Kepler Circumbinary Systems
• Formation of Earth-sized planets within the Kepler-1647 System Habitable Zone