Water Archives

a HAADF image showing region with melt bleb with large vesicles beneath it. b EDS element map shows the bleb is silicate with variable composition of elements including Ti. c HAADF image showing individual pixels in the spectra image. d Low-loss EELS from pixels noted in (c). Solid numbered lines are from pixels within vesicles while dotted lines are from pixels directly beneath each vesicle. Solid black line is from unaltered apatite and shows average low-loss signal for the phase. Spectra from each vesicle offset vertically for clarity. e Map of relative intensity of O pre-peak at 531 eV (median filter) showing the regions with smaller pre-peak around the larger vesicles and the surface region with very sharp pre-peak. The silicate and carbon coat have no pre-peak. f Selected oxygen core-loss spectra summed from regions with similar pre-peak intensity, normalized at 540 eV. The oxygen K-edge EELS show large variation around the vesicles in this region beneath the silicate melt bleb. Dotted lines indicate window used for pre-peak map. -- NRL/Nature

Artemis & Lunar Exploration, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Moon, Press Release, Space Weather & Heliophysics

Hydrogen Detected In Lunar Samples

by Keith CowingNovember 24, 2023November 24, 2023

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) researchers have discovered solar-wind hydrogen in lunar samples, which indicates that water on the surface of the Moon may provide a vital resource for future […]

An artist’s rendering of the warm exoplanet WASP-80 b whose color may appear bluish to human eyes due to the lack of high-altitude clouds and the presence of atmospheric methane identified by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, similar to the planets Uranus and Neptune in our own solar system. Image credit: NASA.

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release

Methane And Water Found In The Atmosphere Of Exoplanet WASP-80 b

by Keith CowingNovember 22, 2023November 22, 2023

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope observed the exoplanet WASP-80 b as it passed in front of and behind its host star, revealing spectra indicative of an atmosphere containing methane gas […]

Spectral signs of glint in phase-dependent observations of Earth. A full phase spectrum of Earth is corrected to crescent phase using a Lambert phase function (dark blue) and subtracted from a crescent phase spectrum of Earth (black) to produce a difference spectrum (grey). The result is well reproduced in window regions by a model that represents a solar spectrum that experiences Rayleigh scattering opacity (light blue) as it passes twice through the atmosphere and scatters once at the surface. -- astro-ph.EP

Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Characterizing Exoplanet Habitability

by Keith CowingNovember 20, 2023November 20, 2023

A habitable exoplanet is a world that can maintain stable liquid water on its surface. Techniques and approaches to characterizing such worlds are essential, as performing a census of Earth-like […]

Artist impression of WASP-107b and its parent star CREDIT Illustration: LUCA School of Arts, Belgium/ Klaas Verpoest (visuals), Johan Van Looveren (typography). Science: Achrène Dyrek (CEA and Université Paris Cité, France), Michiel Min (SRON, the Netherlands), Leen Decin (KU Leuven, Belgium) / European MIRI EXO GTO team / ESA / NASA

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

Webb Detects Water Vapor, Sulfur Dioxide And Sand Clouds In The Atmosphere Nearby Exoplanet WASP-107b

by Keith CowingNovember 16, 2023November 16, 2023

A team of European astronomers, co-led by researchers from the Institute of Astronomy, KU Leuven, used recent observations made with the James Webb Space Telescope to study the atmosphere of […]

Illustration of Earth’s interior revealing subducting water and a rising plume of magma. At the interface where subducting water meets the core, a chemical exchange occurs to form a hydrogen-rich layer in the topmost outer core and dense silica in the bottom of the mantle. Image courtesy Yonsei University

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Surface Water Dives Deep And Transforms Earth’s Core’s Outer Layer

by Keith CowingNovember 15, 2023November 15, 2023

A few decades ago, seismologists imaging the deep planet identified a thin layer, just over a few hundred kilometers thick. The origin of this layer, known as the E prime […]

This newly released image from the NASA Hubble Space Telescope shows the planet Jupiter in a color composite of ultraviolet wavelengths.

Astrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Jupiter, Press Release

Mapping Water Clouds On Jupiter With Ultraviolet Data From Hubble

by Keith CowingNovember 8, 2023November 17, 2023

Released in honor of Jupiter reaching opposition, which occurs when the planet and the Sun are in opposite sides of the sky, this view of the gas giant planet includes […]

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Icy Worlds, Mars, Press Release

Ice-Exposing Impact Crater Surrounded by Polygon Terrain On Mars

by Keith CowingNovember 4, 2023November 4, 2023

The ice-exposing impact crater at the center of this image is an example of what scientists look for when mapping places where future astronauts should land on Mars.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Impact events, Moon, Status Report

Origin Of The Moon And Lunar Water

by Keith CowingOctober 27, 2023October 27, 2023

Three principal concepts regarding lunar formation have been examined: the accretion hypothesis, the mega-impact theory, and the multi-impact model.

Illustration of our strategy to detect habitable exoplanetary environment via CO2 depletion. Each of the planets to the right hand side of the star describes a different scenario discussed in the text (along with illustrative atmospheric concentrations). The panel on the left hand side depicts a simulation of the transmission spectrum of the temperate terrestrial planet TRAPPIST-1 f. We explore the detectability of an atmosphere with ∼ 10 JWST/NIRSpec Prism transit observations, the minimum needed to produce a reliable diagnostic. Note that the deviation from a flat signal (no atmosphere) is primarily supported by the strong absorption features of CO2, notably at 4.3 µm (highlighted). Exo-atmospheric models from 142 were used to make that panel. On the lower right hand side, we illustrate a simplified view of a carbon cycle involving surface liquid water and biology sequestering cycle and producing a depletion in atmospheric carbon. Atmospheric concentrations given near the planets are illustrative. astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Atmospheric Carbon Depletion As A Tracer Of Water Oceans And Biomass On Temperate Terrestrial Exoplanets

by Keith CowingOctober 24, 2023October 24, 2023

The conventional observables to identify a habitable or inhabited environment in exoplanets, such as an ocean glint or abundant atmospheric O2, will be challenging to detect with present or upcoming […]

The pebble surface density for scenario 1 (top) and scenario 2 (bottom) is depicted for different α-viscosities, dependent on disk radius and time. In each case, the red vertical line denotes the water-ice line, and the green line marks the position of the gas giant, if present. In the scenario with a gas giant, the accumulation of blocked pebbles exterior to the gas giant’s position is visible. Further accumulations within the water-ice line result from the recondensation of outwardly diffusing gas at different evaporation lines. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Constraining The Formation History Of The HAT-P-11 System By Atmospheric Abundances

by Keith CowingOctober 23, 2023October 20, 2023

The chemical fingerprint of a planet reveals information about its formation history regarding when and where it formed. The water content of a planet can help to constrain its formation […]

Water

Hydrogen Detected In Lunar Samples

Methane And Water Found In The Atmosphere Of Exoplanet WASP-80 b

Characterizing Exoplanet Habitability

Webb Detects Water Vapor, Sulfur Dioxide And Sand Clouds In The Atmosphere Nearby Exoplanet WASP-107b

Surface Water Dives Deep And Transforms Earth’s Core’s Outer Layer

Mapping Water Clouds On Jupiter With Ultraviolet Data From Hubble

Ice-Exposing Impact Crater Surrounded by Polygon Terrain On Mars

Origin Of The Moon And Lunar Water

Atmospheric Carbon Depletion As A Tracer Of Water Oceans And Biomass On Temperate Terrestrial Exoplanets

Constraining The Formation History Of The HAT-P-11 System By Atmospheric Abundances

Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Antarctic Field Report: 9 November 2026: Lake Untersee Basecamp Update

From Anoxic to Oxic Earth: Detectability of Atmospheric Biosignatures Across Stellar Hosts with ELT/ANDES

The Kinetic Basis of the Genetic Code

Power Density as a Universal Biosignature: An Application to the Stellivore Hypothesis

The Limits of Tidal Circularization and Atmospheric Escape for Mini-Neptunes and Super-Earths: The Case of TOI-2257 b