Within the next few years, the first Earth-mass planets will be discoveredaround other stars. Some of those worlds will certainly lie within theclassical "habitable zone" of their parent stars, and we will quickly move fromknowing of no exoEarths to knowing many. For the first time, we will be in aposition to carry out a detailed search for the first evidence of life beyondour Solar System. However, such observations will be hugely taxing and timeconsuming to perform, and it is almost certain that far more potentiallyhabitable worlds will be known than it is possible to study. It is thereforeimportant to catalogue and consider the various effects which make a promisingplanet more or less suitable for the development of life. In this work, wereview the various planetary, dynamical and stellar influences that couldinfluence the habitability of exoEarths. The various influences must be takenin concert when we attempt to decide where to focus our first detailed searchfor life. While there is no guarantee that any given planet will be inhabited,it is vitally important to ensure that we focus our time and effort on thoseplanets most likely to yield a positive result.
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