A pioneering new study has shown that water found on Earth predates the formation of the Sun — raising hopes that life could exist on exoplanets, the planets orbiting other […]
Water
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Status Report
Clear Skies and Water Vapor on an Exoplanet
Astronomers using data from three of NASA’s space telescopes — Hubble, Spitzer and Kepler — have discovered clear skies and steamy water vapor on a gaseous planet outside our solar […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Water Vapor in the Spectrum of Extrasolar Planet HD 189733b: 2. The eclipse
Spectroscopic observations of exoplanets are crucial to infer the composition and properties of their atmospheres. HD 189733b is one of the most extensively studied exoplanets and is a corner stone […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
First Evidence for Water Ice Clouds Outside Our Solar System
A team of scientists led by Carnegie’s Jacqueline Faherty has discovered the first evidence of water ice clouds on an object outside of our own Solar System. Water ice clouds […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Water Vapor Distribution in Protoplanetary Disks
Water vapor has been detected in protoplanetary disks. In this work we model the distribution of water vapor in protoplanetary disks with a thermo-chemical code. For a set of parameterized […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Astronomers come up dry in search for water on exoplanets
A team of astronomers has made the most precise measurements yet of water vapour in the atmospheres of Jupiter-like planets beyond our Solar System and found them to be much […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
New Evidence for Oceans of Water Deep in the Earth
Researchers from the University of New Mexico and Northwestern University report evidence for potentially oceans worth of water deep beneath the United States. Though not in the familiar liquid form […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Terrestrial-type Planet Formation and Water Delivery
Several studies, observational and theoretical, suggest that planetary systems with only rocky planets should be the most common in the Universe. We study the diversity of planetary systems that might […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology
Rare Mineral Points to Vast Oceans Beneath the Earth
It might be the ugliest diamond you’ll ever see, but within this brown sliver of carbon is a gem of a find for a University of Alberta scientist working to […]
Posted inMars
Fresh water may flow just below the surface during Martian summers
Mysterious dark finger-like features on steep Martian slopes that lengthen downhill during the Red Planet’s warm season could be caused by flowing water, scientists at Southwest Research Institute and the […]