Evidence points to oceans on other planets and moons, even within our own solar system. But Earth is the only known planet (or moon) to have consistent, stable bodies of liquid water on its surface. In our solar system, Earth orbits around the sun in an area called the habitable zone. The temperature within this zone, along with an ample amount of atmospheric pressure, allow water to be liquid for long periods of time.
Scientists believe several moons within our solar system have significant subsurface liquid water deposits. Saturn’s moon Enceladus and Jupiter’s moon Europa are two examples. Both appear to have salty, liquid oceans covered with thick layers of ice at the surface. Scientists have observed water plumes erupting from Enceladus, and believe similar plumes can be found on Europa. The existence of these geysers also tells scientists that these moons have a source of energy, perhaps from gravitational forces or radiation — energy that keeps the oceans liquid under the ice and could even support life.
Beyond our solar system, scientists have found thousands of exoplanets — planets that orbit other stars — including some in the habitable zone. Using mathematical models, researchers estimate that more than a quarter of known exoplanets may have liquid water, though the majority would have subsurface oceans like those on Europa and Enceladus.
The search for liquid water is critical to the search for life beyond Earth. While scientists originally focused the search on finding planets with liquid water on their surface, that thinking is changing. Here on Earth, we have examples of life flourishing in some of the most extreme conditions, such as the complex ecosystems around hydrothermal vents on the seafloor. Scientists are reconsidering whether life could exist below an icy surface, even within our solar system on moons like Europa and Enceladus.
Evidence points to oceans on other planets and moons, even within our own solar system. But Earth is the only known planet (or moon) to have consistent, stable bodies of liquid water on its surface. In our solar system, Earth orbits around the sun in an area called the habitable zone.
Just in our solar system, we have found evidence of oceans on Saturn's moons Titan and Enceladus; Jupiter's moons Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto; Neptune's moon Triton; and on Pluto. We also believe that Venus and Mars may have had oceans billions of years ago.
Earth isn't the only ocean world in our solar system. Water on other worlds exists in diverse forms on moons, dwarf planets, and even comets. Ice, water vapor in the atmosphere, and oceans on other worlds offer clues in the quest to discover life beyond our home planet.
Structure. The composition of Jupiter is similar to that of the Sun – mostly hydrogen and helium. Deep in the atmosphere, pressure and temperature increase, compressing the hydrogen gas into a liquid. This gives Jupiter the largest ocean in the solar system – an ocean made of hydrogen instead of water.
A new study shows that exoplanets like our Earth, with oceans and beaches, might be more common than we thought – especially around red dwarfs. But what does having 'beaches' on other planets mean and what do they tell us about life on these planets?
Venus's atmosphere is almost entirely made up of carbon dioxide – but German astronomers have detected oxygen in the planet's atmosphere on both its day and night sides. The discovery could shed light on why the Venusian atmosphere is so different to our own. It may also help support future space missions to Venus.
Some liquid water may occur transiently on the Martian surface today, but limited to traces of dissolved moisture from the atmosphere and thin films, which are challenging environments for known life.
There's quite a high chance that any water that you attempted to bottle up and drink from another world is likely to be a sludge of minerals, acidic or laden with toxic metals or carrying other unsavoury materials from underground.
The best-established water worlds in the Solar System, other than the Earth, are Callisto, Enceladus, Europa, Ganymede, and Titan. Europa and Enceladus are considered among the most compelling targets for exploration due to their comparatively thin outer crusts and observations of cryovolcanism.
The Moon is the only other place humans have visited. No other planet in our solar system currently has the conditions to support life as we know it on Earth.
At other points in solar system history, we do think that other worlds also had lakes and streams. Mars, for example, we know, had a lot of liquid water on its surface earlier in its history. But today there's only two places in our solar system that currently have liquid on their surface — Earth and Titan.
Researchers, led by geophysicist Steven Jacobsen, stumbled upon a colossal water reservoir trapped within the Earth's mantle, a scorching hot layer beneath the crust. This hidden ocean, three times the size of its surface counterparts, is cradled within a mineral called ringwoodite.
No extraterrestrial life has yet been conclusively detected. Such life might range from simple forms such as prokaryotes to intelligent beings, possibly bringing forth civilizations that might be far more advanced than the human species.
Most people have wondered if there is life beyond Earth in space. With all of the countless billions of stars and possible planets and moons in space, many people think that under the right conditions, life can exist elsewhere in space. However, there is no evidence for this yet.
Although many celestial bodies in the Solar System have a hydrosphere, Earth is the only celestial body known to have stable bodies of liquid water on its surface, with oceanic water covering 71% of its surface, which is essential to life on Earth.
Most (80% or more) of the planet's mass is made up of a hot dense fluid of "icy" materials – water, methane, and ammonia – above a small, rocky core. Of the giant planets, Neptune is the densest. Scientists think there might be an ocean of super hot water under Neptune's cold clouds.
However, there is strong evidence for the existence of subsurface water oceans elsewhere in the Solar System. The best-established candidates for subsurface water oceans in the Solar System are Jupiter's moons Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto; and Saturn's moons Enceladus and Titan.
An ocean that once covered Venus has long since vanished, leaving a hot, dry world. However, a new study of the atmosphere suggests that clouds may have kept the planet cool enough to preserve the Venusian sea for billions of years--far longer than previously thought.
Introduction: My name is Lakeisha Bayer VM, I am a brainy, kind, enchanting, healthy, lovely, clean, witty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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