We know that water is an essential element for life as we know it to exist on our planet. Therefore, to intuit the possible existence of life on another planet or satellite of the solar system or the rest of the universe, one must look at the existence of water on other planets and satellites at least to see if life as we know it is possible here on planet Earth.
In this article, we'll tell you everything you need to know about water on other planets and satellites and whether it could support life.
Search for water on other planets and satellites
Mercury's proximity to the sun prevents the planet's surface from containing liquid water. In all probability, liquid water could have existed on the surface of Venus in the past. This is more true Although liquid water once existed on Mars. However, today this possibility is ruled out.
On Mars, there is evidence of water, but it is not liquid. By contrast, water on Mars exists in the form of crushed ice. It also happens on Earth, for example in the cold regions of the Arctic, a condition known as permafrost. The thin atmosphere of Mars contains trace amounts of water vapor.
But like we said, there is no conclusive evidence of liquid water on the surface of Mars. The other planets in the solar system (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) are all gas giants, but some moons may contain liquid water. To learn more about the relationship between volcanoes and life in space, we recommend the following article on underwater volcanoes. In addition, you can read about the atmosphere of Venus and its impact on the search for water.
underground oceans
what they have in common Jupiter's moons Ganymede and Europa, and Saturn's Titan and Enceladus, is that they appear to have a global ocean of liquid water beneath their icy crust. These stars in our solar system are outside the so-called habitable zone. It is defined as the region around a star where radiation from the star would allow liquid water to exist on the surface of a rocky planet (or moon). But, as we have said, the liquid oceans of these rocky moons are not found on their surface, but under layers of ice tens of kilometers thick.
The gravitational pull of the giant planets (Jupiter and Saturn) around which these moons orbit creates tidal forces. Well, they are responsible for the heating necessary to keep the water in these underground oceans in a liquid state. What's more, in some cases, this energy creates internal friction that, along with the moon's own rotation on its axis, creates some volcanic activity in the subsurface. In 2005, NASA's Cassini spacecraft discovered spectacular water vapor geysers in the southern hemisphere of Saturn's moon Enceladus. It's a small moon, only 500 kilometers in diameter. To learn more about the potential for life on other moons, we recommend reading about moons suitable for life. In addition, it is interesting to investigate water on the Moon and its relationship with life.
liquid brine on mars
The conclusion of this important discovery is that in a region called Plamun Australe, located within the ice cap of the Martian south pole, under a kilometer and a half of solid water, the contours painted by radar closely resemble those of great lakes. of water and liquids found in Greenland.
That is to say, there may be a large saltwater lake at least 20 kilometers long. Temperatures in the region reach minus 120 degrees Celsius, but below the surface, the water is liquid. This is possible because salinity increases the pressure exerted by the ice (raising the temperature from -30 to -70 degrees Celsius), preventing the ice from freezing.
The discovery has reignited the debate about the possibility of life in this or other Martian lakes yet to be discovered. The radar of the Mars Express probe it has only detected less than 10% of the south pole of Mars. There is still a lot to learn about the red planet. If you are interested in the red planet and its characteristics, you can learn more in the article about curiosities of mars. You could also explore the topic of water on mars Deeper.
Evidence of water on other planets and satellites
These are some of the planets and satellites where there is evidence of the existence of water:
- Europe: One of Jupiter's moons, Europa, is an intriguing candidate for harboring liquid water beneath its surface. Its ice cap is thought to conceal a subsurface global ocean, heated by tidal forces generated by the intense gravity of Jupiter and other Galilean moons.
- Enceladus and Titan: These are moons of Saturn. Enceladus has been shown to eject jets of water and steam from its surface, suggesting a subsurface ocean and geothermal activity processes. Titan has seas and lakes of liquid hydrocarbons on its surface, although liquid water is also thought to lie beneath its icy crust.
- Ceres: This is the largest body in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Observations from the Dawn spacecraft have suggested the presence of water ice on its surface, possibly mixed with minerals and salt.
- Exoplanets: Exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) have been discovered in the "habitable zone" of their stars, where temperatures would allow liquid water to exist on the surface. Examples include the TRAPPIST-1 and Proxima Centauri b systems. However, the direct detection of water in the atmosphere of exoplanets is an ongoing technical challenge.
Water on Pluto?
Mercury is too close to the sun to have any form of water, and while we think Venus could have had oceans hundreds of millions of years ago, only water has been detected in its atmosphere and in very small quantities. However, almost at the end of the solar system we find Pluto.
The dwarf planet Pluto is believed to harbor subsurface water, supported by data from the New Horizons probe, which has conducted the most intensive study of Pluto since its flyby in 2015. The idea is that liquid water may have existed on the planet's surface when temperatures originally reached below zero. His formation is still high enough. As time passes and temperatures cool, the Earth can freeze, although liquid water can still exist within it.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the existence of water on other planets and satellites.