Water Archives

Location of candidate landing sites AP-1, AP-8, and AP-9 (red circles) and ice-exposed impact crater (light blue diamond). Basemap: CTX (Context Camera) mosaic provided by the Murray Lab (Dickson et al., 2018); top right: Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter ( MOLA) globe for context.

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Life Support Systems, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Status Report

Geomorphological Evidence of Near‐Surface Ice at Candidate Landing Sites in Northern Amazonis Planitia, Mars

by Keith CowingJune 23, 2025June 23, 2025

This work presents geomorphological analyses of an area at the boundary between Arcadia Planitia and northern Amazonis Planitia, situated in the northern mid-latitudes of Mars.

This is the 'beauty shot version' of Perpetual Ocean 2: Western Boundary Currents. The visualization starts with a rotating globe showing ocean currents. The camera then zooms into the Kuroshio current, moves over the Indian Ocean to the Agulhas Current, then over to the Gulf Stream. -- NASA Source

Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Ocean Planet Research: Freshened Water Under Earth’s Ocean Floor

by Keith CowingJune 2, 2025June 2, 2025

Seventy percent of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, but water also flows beneath its surface.

Bright and dark streaks covering the slopes of the Olympus Mons aureole, as seen by the Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) onboard the European Space Agency’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. Larger image

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Mars, Press Release

A Non-Water Origin For Those Streaks On Mars

by Keith CowingMay 29, 2025May 26, 2025

As if someone has been sweeping the surface of Mars with a broom, the origin of odd, streaked slopes has intrigued scientists for decades.

Map showing water percolation rates on Mars billions of years ago according to research from UT Jackson School of Geosciences. Surface water sinking through the Martian soil took between 50 years (warmer colors) and 200 years (cooler colors) to reach the water table, a mile down. Credit Mohammad Afzal Shadab

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Mars, Press Release

The Missing Link In The Early Martian Water Cycle

by Keith CowingMay 21, 2025May 21, 2025

Billions of years ago, water flowed on the surface of Mars. But scientists have an incomplete picture of how the Red Planet’s water cycle worked.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Water Production Rates from SOHO/SWAN Observations of Comets C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) and C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

by Keith CowingMay 20, 2025September 18, 2025

In 2022 and 2023 the hydrogen comae of two long period comets, C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) and C/2022 E3 (ZTF), were observed with the Solar Wind ANisotropies (SWAN) all-sky hydrogen Lyman-alpha […]

Disk reflectance spectra at different stellocentric distances.

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Water Ice In The Debris Disk Around HD 181327

by Keith CowingMay 15, 2025September 18, 2025

Debris disks are exoplanetary systems that contain planets, minor bodies (i.e., asteroids, Kuiper belt objects, comets, etc.), and micron-sized debris dust.

Frozen Water in Young Star System HD 181327 -- NASA

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

Webb Identifies Frozen Water in Young Star System HD 181327

by Keith CowingMay 14, 2025May 15, 2025

Is frozen water scattered in systems around other stars? Astronomers have long expected it is, partially based on previous detections of its gaseous form, water vapor, and its presence in […]

Locations and spectral analysis of marsquakes and impacts. (a) Location of the 418 InSight station (yellow triangle) and events (black stars) used in this study. The S1000a and S1094b are two impact events, and the S0173a and S1222a are marsquakes that occurred at the crustal base or uppermost mantle. The black lines show the great circle of each event. (b)–(e) Spectral analysis of the four events for S0173a, S1000a, S1094b and S1222a. The yellow-shaded areas highlight P-wave signals (red lines) with strengths greater than the noise level (black lines). In contrast to the S0173a marsquake, which exhibits low frequencies (< 1 Hz), the two impact events (S1000a, S1094b) and the largest tectonic marsquake (S1222a) contain rich higher frequency (≥4 Hz) content. More detailed analyses are given in supplementary data S1. -- National Science Review

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Seismic Velocity Anomalies Suggest Liquid Water At Depth On Mars

by Keith CowingMay 9, 2025May 9, 2025

This study is jointly completed by Dr. Weijia Sun (Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Dr. Hrvoje Tkalčić (The Australian National University), Dr. Marco G. Malusà (University […]

Water line area maps expressed in units of µmˆ% of continuum. The four observation time windows are July 2011 at 67.09 µm, February 2012 at 66.44 and 67.09 µm, July-August 2012 at 66.44 and 67.09 µm, and January-February 2013 at 66.44 and 67.09 µm. Saturn’s 1-bar level is represented by the black ellipse, with the north pole facing upwards. A selection of iso-latitudes are plotted with grey lines. The rotation axis corresponds to the thin dashed black line. The beam spatial extent is illustrated by the circle in a dashed blue line. The black dots correspond to the central position of the spatial pixels. The position and extension of the beacon (see Table 3) at mid-observation time is represented with the thick dashed black lines. A cubic interpolation was applied to the data. -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Enceladus, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Saturn, Status Report

Temporal Evolution Of Water Abundance In Saturn’s Hot Vortex Of 2011-2013

by Keith CowingMay 8, 2025May 8, 2025

Water vapour is delivered to Saturn’s stratosphere by Enceladus’ plumes and subsequent diffusion in the planet system. It is expected to condense into a haze in the middle stratosphere.

This final prospectivity map synthesizes eight evidence layers: ISRs, maximum temperature, PSRs, slope, curvature, aspect, distance to PSRs, and density of PSRs. The color gradient signifies prospectivity levels, with cool tones indicating higher potential and warm tones suggesting lower potential. Specifically, dark blue areas are deemed highly prospective, light blue suggests favorable conditions, yellow denotes permissive regions, and red areas are considered nonprospective. -- The Planetary Science Journal

Artemis & Lunar Exploration, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Missions & Hardware, Moon, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Astrochemistry: Prospectivity Modeling of the NASA VIPER Landing Site at Mons Mouton near the Lunar South Pole

by Keith CowingMay 7, 2025May 7, 2025

We use a high-resolution digital elevation model and a numerical thermal model to produce a variety of inputs for a water-ice prospectivity model for the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover […]