Our planet Earth is known as the “Blue Planet” because 71% of the surface is covered with water. Because of the unique conditions we live in, our planet is the only known planet in our Solar System to have a liquid water in a consistent and stable form. This forms the necessary circumstances for life to occur on our world. However, water does not exist exclusively on Earth. Water is found in one form or another in other places in our star system. Here is a just a small list of some wet and wild worlds in our galactic neighborhood.
Mars
The closest planet to ours, Mars at one point have had water covering the surface of the planet. Mars oceans would have covered much of the planet’s northern hemisphere. However, traces of water can still be found, including seasonal ice coverings and compounds in the ground created from evaporation. In 2015, it was discovered that water flows intermittently on the red planet. Some say there’s water underneath the surface that may host microbial life. I guess life on Mars isn’t so science fiction after all.
Europa
One of Jupiter’s many moons, the small satellite has a possibility for liquid water. The moon has an icy surface that hosts liquid H2O below. Ice geysers lie beneath the surface spewing on the surface. Two factors contribute to Europa’s possible chance for having liquid water. Jupiter’s tidal effects create friction inside the moon, keeping its water in a liquid state. Beyond this gravitational pull keeping the water liquidus, hydrothermal vents beneath the icy surface warm it. These conditions make a perfect recipe for complex life to exist.
Enceladus
This moon of Saturn is one of the most likely to have liquid water in the entire solar system.Below its crust a salty warm ocean lies. Geysers on the moon spew 1,000 tonnes of water into the empty vacuum. Not only that, but salt and organic molecules come out of these geysers as well. Similar to Europa, the tug from Saturn’s gravity is the most likely reason why the moon would have liquid water.
Mercury
The smallest and first planet in our Solar system. Mercury, despite its harsh environmental conditions, you wouldn’t think twice that water in some way could possibly exist here. As the first planet in our system, it is the closest to the sun, with a surface temperature of 800°F or 430°C during the day. In addition, the planet’s lack of an atmosphere would allow water to instantly boil away. However, water is there. It exists as ice water on the planet’s poles, in craters where the sun can’t touch it.
Luna
Our one and only moon that orbits our planet. The moon, or more specifically Luna, was recently confirmed to have ice water at its poles similar to Mercury. It’s also close to the surface with some ice water maybe below the surface. The idea that we could go back to the moon and stay for a longer window of time because of the easy access to water isn’t hard to imagine.
