Water Archives

Schematic showing the distribution of the modeled volatile gas (e.g., water vapor) disk and water ice disk around a WD. The rocky dust disk and their observationally inferred properties are also summarized. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Status Report

Detecting Water Ice And Vapor Disks Originating From Icy Planetary Bodies Around White Dwarfs With Future PRIMA Observations

by Keith CowingSeptember 3, 2025

Observations of atmospheres of polluted white dwarfs provide insights into the elemental composition of accreted exoplanets and exo-asteroids.

ID: ESP_066552_1215, date: 7 October 2020,altitude: 247 km,NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizonalarger image

Analog Studies, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Mars, Status Report

A Slice of Ice On Mars

by Keith CowingSeptember 2, 2025September 2, 2025

This HiRISE image shows a deposit draping the surface like a blanket. The deposit is eroding away, and near the center of the image we can see a section that […]

Buoyancy-driven layering in the icy mantle of water-rich exoplanets.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Evidence For Ultra-water-rich Ammonia Hydrates Stabilized In Icy Exoplanetary Mantles

by Keith CowingAugust 19, 2025August 19, 2025

Understanding the behavior of the water-ammonia system at high pressure-high temperature conditions is important for modeling the internal dynamics of exoplanet icy mantles.

The ≈1000 au environment of RW Aur at different wavelengths, as observed by ALMA and JWST. Panel (a): compact dust continuum emission at 1.3 mm wavelength (see Kurtovic et al. 2024, for a detailed study). Panel (b): continuum emission from MIRI-MRS subband 1A. Panel (c): Peak emission map of H2S(3). Panel (d): Peak emission map of [Fe II]. Panel (e): Moment 0 map of the 12CO emission at 230.538 GHz, as observed with ALMA. Panel (f): Peak emission map of H2S(3). -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

MINDS. Young Binary Systems With JWST/MIRI: Variable Water-rich Primaries And Extended Emission

by Keith CowingAugust 14, 2025August 14, 2025

As part of the JWST GTO program MINDS, we analyze the mid-infrared emission of three Class II binary systems: VW Cha, WX Cha, and RW Aur, to investigate the impact […]

Ionic liquids. (A) schematic of an ionic liquid composed of a hydrogen sulfate anion and a glycine cation. (B) Vials of selected ionic liquids composed of N-containing organics and hydrogen sulfate anions, compounds as labeled in the image. Ionic liquids are typically transparent, with a range of chemical characteristics including colors and viscosities. The ionic liquids were generated by evaporating excess sulfuric acid from mixtures of various organic compounds and concentrated sulfuric acid. -- PNAS

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Press Release

Planets Without Water Could Still Produce Certain Liquids

by Keith CowingAugust 12, 2025August 12, 2025

Water is essential for life on Earth. So, the liquid must be a requirement for life on other worlds. For decades, scientists’ definition of habitability on other planets has rested […]

Stacked images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS acquired with UVOT obtained on July 31 and Aug 1, 2025. The image acquired with the V filter is shown on the left, the UVW1 image is shown on the right. Apertures used are shown in red, with background sky annulus in dotted white. The UVW1 aperture is ≈ 20, 000 km, background annulus radii are 60,000 and 80,000 km. Ticks along the bottom represent 20,000 km. Color scales are optimized for viewing. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release

Water Detection in the Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS

by Keith CowingAugust 7, 2025August 7, 2025

We report the first detection of water activity in the third confirmed interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, based on ultraviolet imaging with the Neil Gehrels-Swift Observatory.

NIRSpec spectrum of L1527 on the optical depth scale from 3.7-4.2 µm (solid black trace) along with the ice fit components CH3OH (dash-dotted brown trace), a Gaussian representing SH-bearing ices (dotted yellow trace), amorphous HDO (solid blue trace), crystalline HDO (solid magenta trace), and the total combined ice fit (dashed green trace). The gray horizontal shaded region indicates the 3σ noise level. See Figure B.1 for the local continuum used to extract this spectrum. astro-ph.SR

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report

HDO Ice Detected Toward An Isolated Low-mass Protostar With JWST

by Keith CowingJuly 28, 2025July 28, 2025

Water is detected in environments representing every stage of star and solar system formation, but its chemical evolution throughout these stages remains poorly constrained.

This is an example of a debris-covered glacier on Mars. New research into these features suggests that they are purer than once thought, with implications for understanding Mars’ overall water budget and resource utilization on future crewed missions. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Press Release

Mars Glaciers Are Purer And More Uniform Than Previously Thought

by Keith CowingJuly 25, 2025July 25, 2025

On the slopes of Martian mountains and craters clings what appears to be flowing honey, coated in dust and frozen in time. In reality, these features are incredibly slow-moving glaciers, […]

Illustration of the range of possible internal compositions for temperate sub-Neptunes like K2-18 b, and a roadmap to characterize them through atmospheric observations. A liquid-water ocean separating the atmosphere from the interior necessarily implies a small atmosphere, which may be composed of either H2 or heavier molecules. In contrast, a massive atmosphere is expected to be well-mixed with the volatile envelope underneath. We propose characterizing such massive envelopes along two principal axes: the H2-to-H2O ratio and the metallicities defined by carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. In a standard H2-dominated envelope, the oxygen abundance tracks that of C, N, and S with the solar abundance ratio. In a mixed or steam-rich envelope, oxygen (and thus H2O) is more abundant; in a soot-rich envelope, it is less so. Nitrogen and sulfur may be depleted relative to carbon due to preferential partitioning into the mantle or core. The existence of a water-dominated layer between the envelope and the rocky interior remains uncertain, but is retained here as a possibility. Regardless of envelope composition, water may condense in the atmospheres of K2-18 b and cooler sub-Neptunes, rendering direct H2O measurements from transmission spectra unreliable as diagnostics of the bulk composition. Instead, detecting and quantifying a suite of gases, such as CH4, CO2, CO, NH3, and SO2, and their relative abundances offers a more robust pathway to distinguish among envelope compositions, physical states, and the potential presence of a liquid-water ocean. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

A Water-rich Interior In The Temperate Sub-Neptune K2-18 b Revealed By JWST

by Keith CowingJuly 18, 2025July 18, 2025

Temperate sub-Neptunes Are Compelling Targets For Detecting Liquid-water Oceans Beyond The Solar System. If water-rich and lacking massive hydrogen-helium envelopes, these planets could sustain liquid layers beneath their atmospheres despite […]

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

On The Relative Humidity Of Earth’s Atmosphere

by Keith CowingJuly 17, 2025July 17, 2025

Water vapour is highly subsaturated in much of the Earth’s atmosphere. This has important consequences for water vapour feedback, and also for general phenomena such as the runaway greenhouse.

Water

Detecting Water Ice And Vapor Disks Originating From Icy Planetary Bodies Around White Dwarfs With Future PRIMA Observations

A Slice of Ice On Mars

Evidence For Ultra-water-rich Ammonia Hydrates Stabilized In Icy Exoplanetary Mantles

MINDS. Young Binary Systems With JWST/MIRI: Variable Water-rich Primaries And Extended Emission

Planets Without Water Could Still Produce Certain Liquids

Water Detection in the Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS

HDO Ice Detected Toward An Isolated Low-mass Protostar With JWST

Mars Glaciers Are Purer And More Uniform Than Previously Thought

A Water-rich Interior In The Temperate Sub-Neptune K2-18 b Revealed By JWST

On The Relative Humidity Of Earth’s Atmosphere

Astrochemistry: Hubble and JWST Observe Star Formation in The Carina Nebula

Mapping the Historical Roots of Astrobiology: A Reference Publication Year Spectroscopy (RPYS) Analysis

The Agentic Observer Hackathon: Autonomous Decision-making in Simulated Astronomical Surveys

Tracking The Evolution of sub-Neptunes. I. Gyrochronology of Planet Hosting Stars

Tracking the Evolution of Sub-Neptunes. II. The Radius Valley on Gyrochronological Ages