09-22-2015, 11:48 PM
One interesting possibility in a cluster is panspermia or capture from other nearby stars in the same cluster. So even if Mizar is only 400 my old it could pick up life-bearing rocks or even a whole planet from another star system in the same cluster.
Star formation in a cluster doesn't last very long, so all stars in a cluster are about the same age- but if there are a lot of stars with planets then the chance of abiogenesis occurring at an early stage on at least one of them is somewhat greater.
Mizar is in Collinder 285, also known as the Ursa Major Moving Group, which is the closest cluster-like object to Earth. At one time this cluster was much more compact and the stars could have swapped rocks, planets and lifeforms much more easily.
Star formation in a cluster doesn't last very long, so all stars in a cluster are about the same age- but if there are a lot of stars with planets then the chance of abiogenesis occurring at an early stage on at least one of them is somewhat greater.
Mizar is in Collinder 285, also known as the Ursa Major Moving Group, which is the closest cluster-like object to Earth. At one time this cluster was much more compact and the stars could have swapped rocks, planets and lifeforms much more easily.