Water Worlds

  • Released Tuesday, January 21st, 2014
  • Updated Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023 at 1:51PM
  • ID: 11443

Earth, the blue planet, is our idea of a water world. But a planet doesn't have to be earthlike to have water. Using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, scientists found faint signals of water in the atmospheres of five distant planets. All five—HD 209458b, WASP-12b, WASP-17b, WASP-19b and XO-1b—are a type of exoplanet known as hot Jupiters, massive worlds that orbit very close to their stars. Although the planets were quite hazy, the researchers could tell that two of them had stronger water signals than the other three. Being able to compare planets this way is a key step in figuring out why some worlds wind up with plentiful water yet others don't. Watch the video to see an animation of a hot Jupiter orbiting its star.

Water is being found on some surprisingly un-earthlike planets.

Water is being found on some surprisingly un-earthlike planets.

By observing an exoplanet as it passes in front of its star, scientists can probe what the planet’s atmosphere is made of.

Planet HD 209458b (above) is so hot that its atmosphere is boiling off.

Planet HD 209458b (above) is so hot that its atmosphere is boiling off.

Planet WASP-12b (above) originally got noticed for being carbon-rich, but scientists also found evidence of water here.

Planet WASP-12b (above) originally got noticed for being carbon-rich, but scientists also found evidence of water here.

XO-1b (above) is a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting a sun-like star every four days.

XO-1b (above) is a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting a sun-like star every four days.

For More Information

See NASA.gov

App

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Cover image courtesy of NASA/ESA/STScI/G. Bacon
Video courtesy of ESA/Hubble
HD 209458b image courtesy of NASA/ESA/CNRS/Alfred Vidal-Madjar
WASP-12b image courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech
XO-1b image courtesy of NASA/ESA/STSci/G. Bacon