What is the term for the star-centered region where a planet could have liquid water on its surface? It is the habitable zone.
Also called the circumstellar habitable zone or “Goldilocks zone,” this region is the range of orbital distances where temperatures could permit liquid water on a planet’s surface. It is not a fixed distance: a hot, bright star’s zone lies farther out, while a cool, dim star’s zone lies closer in.
The idea is a useful starting point in the search for life, but being in the habitable zone does not make a planet Earth-like or inhabited. Atmospheric pressure, composition, clouds, magnetic activity, planetary size, and geological history all affect whether surface water can actually remain liquid. A planet can be in the zone and still be frozen, overheated, or airless.
The term is often confused with the snow line, which marks where volatile compounds can freeze during planet formation, or the Roche limit, a tidal-disruption boundary. Earth occupies the Sun’s habitable zone, while Venus and Mars lie near its inner and outer limits.