[petuniasevan]

Yeah, it wouldn't be a great neighborhood in a globular cluster, huh? Lotsa traffic! (Even if you could scrape together the heavy elements to MAKE a planet)

Or how about orbiting a red dwarf sun REALLY close-in for that needed warmth? OOPS! Stellar flare! Sorry, life-forms; it's barbecue day!

How about a nice white-hot star and an orbit like Saturn's? Okay...uh-oh! Star core out of fuel already! %&#* proton hog...BOOM!

As for a Sol-like solar system: consider that Jupiter "eats" a lot of comets, asteroids, and assorted space debris. Without a Jupiter, that Earthlike planet is likely to resemble Mercury.

[Sabertooth]

As for a Sol-like solar system: consider that Jupiter "eats" a lot of comets, asteroids, and assorted space debris. Without a Jupiter, that Earthlike planet is likely to resemble Mercury.

Not to mention Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Good thing none of those planets is between us and the Sun, too. Might make for some long, cold eclipses.