The significance of fire in our search for extra-terrestrial life.

To find fire...Seek water??

 The flame has intrigued mankind since the beginning of their existence: possessing serious cultural, philosophical, and practical implications it now takes on a new role- a potential sign of extraterrestrial life! But why would this be the case and perhaps more importantly, why would should it matter? This article aims to not only answer those questions… but perhaps inspire a flame of curiosity inside the reader as well!

To start, we'll need the basics...

Fire? What's that?

Fire is the thing we see when a process known as a “combustion reaction” occurs. A carbon compound's internal temperature is raised to a certain extent; Once that temperature hits a threshold, it reacts with the surrounding oxygen and produces carbon dioxide and water. The water is released as water vapor, so it doesn’t really affect the flame being produced.

  (Shana giving us an example of a combustion reaction- How nice! ^^)   

Okay I get what fire is- I see it all the time! What's the deal?

Well the deal is pretty simple: Cosmically speaking, fire is incredibly rare!! In fact, we have yet to discover an exoplanet or even anything in space (aside from the ISS) that could produce fire. Why? One major issue is that other planets simply don't have enough O2 to react with. As oxygen is a highly reactive element, it usually just ends up binding with other stuff. Another issue is well finding a carbon compound to react with the O2!

(good ol' fire triangle.)

Oh! I see! Isn't O2 tied to photosynthesis as well?

Yep! the reason we have so much pure oxygen in our atmosphere is because it's constantly being replenished by our plants. 

So that means...fire is related to life!?

You betcha! It can really only occur when life is present. Which means if we look for life in the universe... were also looking for fire! And it just so happens that one of the best ways to look for life in the grand universe... is to look for water.

Wow...How do we do that?

Well there are lots of ways, but this one is pretty cool: Finding out whether the Planet lies within a Habitable Zone, or Hz for short.

Hm?

A Habitable Zone is the orbit of any planet around a star such that the radiation and atmospheric pressure it receives from said star matches that of Earths. Basically, it cant be too far away or else it's too cold for water, or too close or else it's too hot for water. It has to be Just Right, which it's often referred to as the Goldilocks Zone.

(earth orbiting it's Hz around the Sun)

Although this isn't to say that having a good Hz will guarantee liquid water. In fact, it would be pretty dangerous if we thought that. Still, analyzing an exoplanets Hz allows us to do a sort of "mass triage" and sets a pretty important baseline.

And Thus, the Poetic Conclusion.

Water and fire since eons have always been at odds. that have clashed as opposing forces, been coupled as philosophical dichotomies, and yet here, out in the cosmos... out in the nothingness of the universe, they find themselves inextricably linked to the discovery of life. How quaint, don't you think?