Alien Worlds May Be Able To Make Their Own Water (science.org) 16
sciencehabit shares a report from Science.org: From enabling life as we know it to greasing the geological machinery of plate tectonics, water can have a huge influence on a planet's behavior. But how do planets get their water? An infant world might be bombarded by icy comets and waterlogged asteroids, for instance, or it could form far enough from its host star that water can precipitate as ice. However, certain exoplanets pose a puzzle to astronomers: alien worlds that closely orbit their scorching home stars yet somehow appear to hold significant amounts of water.
A new series of laboratory experiments, published today in Nature, has revealed a deceptively straightforward solution to this enigma: These planets make their own water. Using diamond anvils and pulsed lasers, researchers managed to re-create the intense temperatures and pressures present at the boundary between these planets' hydrogen atmospheres and molten rocky cores. Water emerged as the minerals cooked within the hydrogen soup. Because this kind of geologic cauldron could theoretically boil and bubble for billions of years, the mechanism could even give hellishly hot planets bodies of water -- implying that ocean worlds, and the potentially habitable ones among them, may be more common than scientists already thought. "They can basically be their own water engines," says Quentin Williams, an experimental geochemist at the University of California Santa Cruz who was not involved with the new work.
A new series of laboratory experiments, published today in Nature, has revealed a deceptively straightforward solution to this enigma: These planets make their own water. Using diamond anvils and pulsed lasers, researchers managed to re-create the intense temperatures and pressures present at the boundary between these planets' hydrogen atmospheres and molten rocky cores. Water emerged as the minerals cooked within the hydrogen soup. Because this kind of geologic cauldron could theoretically boil and bubble for billions of years, the mechanism could even give hellishly hot planets bodies of water -- implying that ocean worlds, and the potentially habitable ones among them, may be more common than scientists already thought. "They can basically be their own water engines," says Quentin Williams, an experimental geochemist at the University of California Santa Cruz who was not involved with the new work.
As we know it (Score:2)
We assume too much.
Re: (Score:2)
We assume too much.
Particularly about water. And water-based life forms.
Aliens may need water like humans need a hot cup of arsenic tea.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: As we know it (Score:1)
Then why come here? (Score:4, Funny)
Drink your own damn water. And stop probing our anuses.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Fine, we will leave your water alone
Precipitate as ice? (Score:2)
FTA: "far enough from its host star that water can precipitate as ice"
I know this is mainly a tech forum, not science, but it would be nice to get some basic science correct occasionally in the articles. If its that far from its host star there won't be any water in the first place, it'll already be ice plus some free water molecules flying around too forming a sparse vapour.
To me, it comes pre-packed (Score:2)
There is vast amounts of water ice floating in space. It stands to reason that any system formation is going to have significant percentage of water bedded deep in every planetary body as it grows. The planet will heat up as it grows still containing large quantities of water at great pressure. Which then slowly rises over time.
We make our own... (Score:2)
We make our own methane, plenty of it...so making your own water is no surprise.
JoshK.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Well from Coleridge's "Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner:
Water, water, every where, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink.
Guess he did not think of the water made that was in the bilge of the ship... ;-)
JoshK.
never (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)