Probably not too much new information but a nice summary of the many places we have found water in our solar system (and beyond).
"As NASA missions explore our solar system and search for new worlds,
they are finding water in surprising places. Water is but one piece of
our search for habitable planets and life beyond Earth, yet it links
many seemingly unrelated worlds in surprising ways.
"NASA science activities have provided a wave of amazing findings
related to water in recent years that inspire us to continue
investigating our origins and the fascinating possibilities for other
worlds, and life, in the universe," said Ellen Stofan, chief scientist
for the agency. "In our lifetime, we may very well finally answer
whether we are alone in the solar system and beyond."
The chemical elements in water, hydrogen and oxygen, are some of the
most abundant elements in the universe. Astronomers see the signature of
water in giant molecular clouds between the stars, in disks of material
that represent newborn planetary systems, and in the atmospheres of
giant planets orbiting other stars.
It's easy to forget that the story of Earth's water, from gentle rains
to raging rivers, is intimately connected to the larger story of our
solar system and beyond. But our water came from somewhere -- every
world in our solar system got its water from the same shared source. So
it's worth considering that the next glass of water you drink could
easily have been part of a comet, or an ocean moon, or a long-vanished
sea on the surface of Mars. And note that the night sky may be full of
exoplanets formed by similar processes to our home world, where gentle
waves wash against the shores of alien seas."
JPL Story
"As NASA missions explore our solar system and search for new worlds,
they are finding water in surprising places. Water is but one piece of
our search for habitable planets and life beyond Earth, yet it links
many seemingly unrelated worlds in surprising ways.
"NASA science activities have provided a wave of amazing findings
related to water in recent years that inspire us to continue
investigating our origins and the fascinating possibilities for other
worlds, and life, in the universe," said Ellen Stofan, chief scientist
for the agency. "In our lifetime, we may very well finally answer
whether we are alone in the solar system and beyond."
The chemical elements in water, hydrogen and oxygen, are some of the
most abundant elements in the universe. Astronomers see the signature of
water in giant molecular clouds between the stars, in disks of material
that represent newborn planetary systems, and in the atmospheres of
giant planets orbiting other stars.
It's easy to forget that the story of Earth's water, from gentle rains
to raging rivers, is intimately connected to the larger story of our
solar system and beyond. But our water came from somewhere -- every
world in our solar system got its water from the same shared source. So
it's worth considering that the next glass of water you drink could
easily have been part of a comet, or an ocean moon, or a long-vanished
sea on the surface of Mars. And note that the night sky may be full of
exoplanets formed by similar processes to our home world, where gentle
waves wash against the shores of alien seas."
JPL Story
