Using the European Space Agency's Infrared Space Observatory, Spanish and Italian astronomers have for the first time measured the total amount of water in cold regions of the Milky Way. The findings and implications of this research are discussed here, with emphasis on the fact that water is abundant in these cold regions and exists mostly in the form of ice. Images and videos are included. Full description.

Until very recently, planetary scientists had thought that Mars is a cold, dry planet. Then in the summer of 2000, NASA released images from the Mars Global Surveyor showing evidence of very recent seepage of ground water from crater and valley slopes in the planet's southern hemisphere. It seems that substantial reservoirs of the water that once may have run so copiously on the surface may still ... Full description.

The European Space Agency's Mars Express Satellite has recorded images in three different bands of the southern polar cap of Mars, which show both frozen carbon dioxide and water ice. The images are presented with a brief caption and links to other Mars Express imagery and status reports. Full description.

This article examines the evidence for recent liquid water on Mars. NASA scientists believe that piles of crater-topped debris snapped by the Mars orbiter were caused by the teakettle explosion of water through volcanic lava flows at the planet's equator and are the best evidence yet for recent liquid water at the Red Planet. Researchers believe that lava flows advanced over wet ground, causing steam ... Full description.

Users can read about the discovery of ice on Earth's moon, which occurs in the form of ice crystals accumulated near the lunar poles. The discussion covers the use of the neutron spectrometer as a tool for detecting water by sensing the hydrogen it contains, some ideas on the origin of the ice, and the fact that water has been found elsewhere in the solar system (on Europa, Jupiter's fourth-largest ... Full description.

This article describes how astronomers from the European Space Agency (ESA) have discovered thermal emission lines from interstellar water vapor using the spectrometers aboard ESA's Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). Full description.

This website presents the story of Comet LINEAR, which broke apart in 2000, revealing what many scientists thought all along - water in Earth's oceans could have come from outer space. The article discusses findings from the breakup of Comet LINEAR and the possibility of water in its composition. Full description.

This is a copy of a news story originally written on March 1, 2001 that describes the theory of how small comets may have been at least part of the source of the water on our planet. The site also offers links to the University of Iowa's Small Comets research site and information on the ground-based measurements that are used to identify these comets. Full description.

This article from Astrobiology Magazine reports on the discovery of water in "cold" regions of space. Using data from the European Space Agency's Infrared Space Observatory, astronomers have determined that water is abundant in these cold, or quiescent regions of space where there are no stars, and that the majority of it occurs as ice with a small amount of water vapor. It is thought that these cold ... Full description.

NASA Investigators working with Mars Odyssey data may have discovered remnants of snow packs that have created a system of gullies in crater walls and other, more unusual places such as ridge crests, sand dunes, and hilltops. Readers of this journal article can learn about the snow packs and their potential to collect and shelter water beneath themselves, possibly providing a favorable environment ... Full description.