wiki Word:   Goldilocks Effect or Goldilocks Theory  

Definition: In order for a planet to support life a planet can't be to close (making it to hot), or to far away (making it to cold) from its sun. It has to be somewhere in the middle (making it just right).

 In order for life to have the ability to survive on a planet, the conditions have to be (as Goldilocks would have said) just right. 

Just like Goldilocks found the poridge that was just right, the Earth is just right for living creatures. This is because our planet, earth, is located in the "Goldilocks Zone" (also known as the habital zone). It is an area of space that the planet is just the right distance from a star. This allows the planet to "host" a source of liquid water. People belielve that the reason Earth is able to support life is,   

SO WHAT??? SECTION: This term is included in our long list of "Solar System and Space" vocabulary words because it tells why planets can or cannot be habitable.

Image 1:

http://wzus.ask.com/r?t=a&d=us&s=a&c=p&ti=1&ai=30753&l=dir&o=0&sv=0a300514&ip=44d1ec5b&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poster.at%2FMiles-Elizabeth%2FMiles-Elizabeth-Goldilocks-Sneaks-a-Taste-9923299.html

Image 2:

 www.dailygalaxy.com/.../01/the_goldilocks_.html

Information:

"Venus Express Enters Orbit". Science Museum . 5-9-08 http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/antenna/venusexpressorbit/.  

 Silverman, Jacob.  "Are we not the only Earth out there?."  30 August 2007.  HowStuffWorks.com. http://science.howstuffworks.com/other-earth.htm  30 April 2008.

Windows Team. "Windows to the Universe." The Goldilocks Theory. April 9th 1997 . Windows to the Universe. 9 May 2008 http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/interior/Goldilocks.html.

Howell , Elizabeth . "Space Exploration ." The Goldilocks Theory . December 27 2005. About Inc. . 9 May 2008 http://en.allexperts.com/q/Space-Exploration-2540/Goldilocks-Theory.htm.  

 Edinburgh, "Space Daily ." The Goldilocks Effect . June 27, 2001 . 4-29-08 http://www.spacedaily.com/news/early-earth-01e.html.