By Clara Moskowitz, SPACE.com Assistant Managing Editor | July 8, 2008 07:00am ET This image, taken while MESSENGER was 34,692 miles (55,831 kilometers) above Earth, shows the Galapagos The liquid water makes the planet earth habitable compared to other planets. What Makes Earth Special Compared to Other Planets? There are many different factors which are responsible for the Thus far, scientists have been unable to detect intelligent life on other planets and believe that human beings are the only intelligent life in the universe. include("ad4th.php"); ?> Earth is a place that has life; it is composed of many minerals and is a solid mass that is compacted with rocks. January 5, 2015 2.23pm EST Jonti Horner , Belinda Nicholson , Brad Carter , University of Southern Queensland 2- But also other gases that help maintain an atmosphere that keeps the majority of our planet within the ranges of what life can survive in (0-100 Fahrenheit) 3- We also have water, a lot of water. Other similarities to Earth come into sharper focus in the search for life. What makes the planet earth habitable compared to other planets - 3393671 Answer: What makes the Earth habitable? It is more difficult than you might think to define what makes a planet habitable, as astrophysicist Christopher Watson explains. None of the other planets in the solar system have life on them. What makes one Earth-like planet more habitable than another? Many rocky planets have been detected in Earth Earth is the only planet in the solar system that is known to have life on it. Most of it is liquid and therefore more effective at maintaining life than water vapor or ice. In the solar system, Earth is the only planet that harbors any type of life. And "the light's better" in the habitable zone, or the area around a star where planetary surface temperatures could allow the pooling of water. Currently it is believed that the traces of life is only available in the earth, among the eight planets of the solar system. Key Difference: A prominent difference between Earth and other planets is that Earth has life and water where people can live on, whereas other planets don’t.