WATER IN SPACE

Water isn’t just found on Earth but throughout our Solar System. Water in the form of liquid subsurface oceans, ice or vapour exists on several worlds, including the Moon, Mars and the moons Ganymede, Titan and Enceladus. Water is found in comets and asteroids, the leftovers from the formation of the Solar System some 4.5 billion years ago, and dwarf planets Pluto and Ceres. Finding water on other worlds will help in the search for life beyond Earth. One of the most promising targets is Jupiter’s moon Europa. This icy moon has all the ingredients for life: water, chemistry and energy. Europa’s subsurface ocean contains twice as much water than all the water in Earth’s oceans.