Scientists on the hunt for extraterrestrial life would have said that the best bet is to look for where there is water. However, they now understand that this sole condition really doesn’t do much to narrow things down, as the Universe may very well be awash with the stuff.
That’s at least according to NASA, who recently released an intriguing overview of all the watery worlds that have so far been discovered in our own solar system alone. "NASA science activities have provided a wave of amazing findings related to water in recent years that inspire us to continue investigating our origins and the fascinating possibilities for other worlds, and life, in the Universe," Ellen Stofan, chief scientist for the agency, said in a recent statement.
The overview describes how water’s elements, hydrogen and oxygen, are "some of the most abundant elements in the Universe," with the signature of water vapor even seen in giant clouds and disks of stardust. It likewise can be found slipping from the surface of comets, where that frozen heavenly body’s melting nucleolus lets off a wrapping coma and streaking tail of re-frozen ice particles.