Detecting blue water?

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therocketjohn

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Have astronomers detecte<font color="#000000">d </font><font color="#000000">blue looking</font><font color="#000000"> water o</font>n another planet? If so, I wonder where, when, and how? Also, what observable variables contribute in deciding if another planet has water?
 
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Saiph

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I'm not sure why you specify 'blue' water.&nbsp; Do you mean liquid water? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p align="center"><font color="#c0c0c0"><br /></font></p><p align="center"><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">--------</font></em></font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">--------</font></em></font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">----</font></em></font><font color="#666699">SaiphMOD@gmail.com </font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">-------------------</font></em></font></p><p><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">"This is my Timey Wimey Detector.  Goes "bing" when there's stuff.  It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually.  I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- </font></em></font><font size="1" color="#999999">The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>
 
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therocketjohn

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Ok I'll rephrase the question. Have astonomers detected liquid water on the surface of another planet and if so, what makes astronomers believe that it is actually water?
 
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Saiph

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<p>I'm not entirely sure if we have detected liquid water on the surface of another planet.&nbsp; Gaseous yes, ice, yes.&nbsp; Europa has strong indications of liquid water being beneath the ice crust.</p><p>But the method of detection would be spectrographic.&nbsp; Water, like any atomic or molecular compound, has a specific way it interacts with light.&nbsp; By looking for that pattern, that fingerprint, we'd be able to determine it's presence. </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p align="center"><font color="#c0c0c0"><br /></font></p><p align="center"><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">--------</font></em></font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">--------</font></em></font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">----</font></em></font><font color="#666699">SaiphMOD@gmail.com </font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">-------------------</font></em></font></p><p><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">"This is my Timey Wimey Detector.  Goes "bing" when there's stuff.  It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually.  I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- </font></em></font><font size="1" color="#999999">The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>
 
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therocketjohn

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I'm not entirely sure if we have detected liquid water on the surface of another planet.&nbsp; Gaseous yes, ice, yes.&nbsp; Europa has strong indications of liquid water being beneath the ice crust.But the method of detection would be spectrographic.&nbsp; Water, like any atomic or molecular compound, has a specific way it interacts with light.&nbsp; By looking for that pattern, that fingerprint, we'd be able to determine it's presence. <br /> Posted by Saiph</DIV></p><p>Thanks for your response. For Europa, did they just see that wavelengths were equal to the wavelegths of ice or steam as we know them on earth, then conclude that Europa must have water? Are there other things with similiar&nbsp; wavelengths that it could be or do ice, water, and steam have specific wave lengths not found in other chemical makeups that we have tested?&nbsp; Also, I wonder how accurate we know our wavelength detection is from 600 billion kilometers or more? </p>
 
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Saiph

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<p>Wavelength detection is quite good over distance, assuming there's enough light.&nbsp; Afterall, we use it on galaxies billions of light years away.</p><p>As for Europa, most of it is the photographic evidence of 'tectonic' plates in giant ice crusts on the surface, and their apparently young ages.&nbsp; Someone else would have to speak up on that, I don't follow the planetary sciences that closely </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p align="center"><font color="#c0c0c0"><br /></font></p><p align="center"><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">--------</font></em></font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">--------</font></em></font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">----</font></em></font><font color="#666699">SaiphMOD@gmail.com </font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">-------------------</font></em></font></p><p><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">"This is my Timey Wimey Detector.  Goes "bing" when there's stuff.  It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually.  I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- </font></em></font><font size="1" color="#999999">The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>
 
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3488

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'><font color="#ff0000">Wavelength detection is quite good over distance, assuming there's enough light.&nbsp; Afterall, we use it on galaxies billions of light years away.As for Europa, most of it is the photographic evidence of 'tectonic' plates in giant ice crusts on the surface, and their apparently young ages.&nbsp; Someone else would have to speak up on that, I don't follow the planetary sciences that closely <br /> Posted by Saiph</font></DIV></p><p><font size="2"><strong>Hi Saiph,</strong></font></p><p><font size="2"><strong>It's not often I get to elaborate on a Glabal Moderator's post.</strong></font></p><p><font size="2"><strong>Yes you are correct. The surface of Europa is ice. There is some circumstantial evidence of sub surface liquid H2O, though it is not proven fact.</strong></font></p><font size="2"><strong>A lot of hype suggests its a done deal. It is not. There is some evidence to support a subsurface ocean for sure, but it could also be convecting 'warm ice' below a more brittle colder harder ice crust (1 Ceres may also show evidence for this, but will have to wait for DAWN's arrival).&nbsp;</strong></font><p><font size="2"><strong>I suspect that there IS some liquid H2O in places below Europa's ice crust.</strong></font></p><p><font size="2"><strong>There are likely to be volcanoes on the 'ocean' floor, as Europa is being kept warm by the same forces that power the violent eruptions on Europa's slightly larger & considerably more massive inner neighbour Io, but with Europa the flexing is only about 15% of Io's.&nbsp;</strong></font></p><p><font size="2"><strong>One area I suspect that there is subsurface liquid H2O is Conamara Chaos.</strong></font></p><p>&nbsp;<img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/8/2/f8e1f428-d840-4b03-b286-09649f7b2225.Medium.jpg" alt="" />&nbsp; <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/12/0/2c16c5bc-a13f-4788-b0a9-91d70d95550d.Medium.jpg" alt="" /></p><p> <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/13/4/8d6fcb56-6925-41b5-8462-b97c444dcbe3.Medium.jpg" alt="" /></p><p><font size="2"><strong>Ice blisters, diapirs??</strong></font><br />&nbsp;<img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/2/14/12742f22-ccc9-4e6c-8e73-7dc4b4c24338.Medium.jpg" alt="" /><br /><font size="2"><strong>However the below point to regions with a much thicker crust. </strong></font><br /> <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/9/4/69234810-064a-443e-842c-28e4f6ca236a.Medium.jpg" alt="" /></p><p><font size="2"><strong><br />Map showing Europa's ice fractures / tectonic failting.</strong></font><br /> <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/1/10/b1b7bf73-ee45-4993-ba34-fa2ffd76e16c.Medium.jpg" alt="" /></p><p><strong><font size="2">Also the Saturn moon Enceladus is suspected of having liquid water below the south polar region, feeding the geysers. Once again, this is not proven fact. The Tiger Stripe region DOES to me look like paint hardening in a paint pot, but that is only my own opinion, not based on official scientific fact.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">Enceladus very thin south polar crescent, with Saturnshine on the Northern Hemisphere. The geysers show well backlit.<br /></font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2"><img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/10/6/3a5dc156-1e56-48d2-b65e-3ff73e946492.Medium.jpg" alt="" /></font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">Enceladus Tiger Stripes.<br /><img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/13/15/1d5a0aac-a936-4eb3-bf02-4dfb4784d5c5.Medium.jpg" alt="" /><br /><br />Enceladus. Extreme close up with ice boulders. Cairo Sulcus with cliff.<br /> <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/5/0/65145d39-aeab-4a92-907f-8823e006e6b0.Medium.jpg" alt="" /><br /></font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2"> </font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2"><strong>Enceladus. Small section of Cairo Sulcus.</strong><br /> <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/1/3/11c764d4-a8f8-47e8-a339-2c4fd500067b.Medium.jpg" alt="" /></font></strong></p><p><strong><br /><font size="2">Also Neptune's moon Triton, appears to have had liquid H2O at some point, possibly during global melting during the capture of the Pluto & Eris like KBO by Neptune. Does Triton still hold a liquid H2O ocean deep underground?</font></strong></p><p><strong><img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/10/10/7a5df095-078f-408e-aaff-39f62d072185.Medium.jpg" alt="" /></strong></p><p><font size="2"><strong>Frozen lake on Triton.<br /> <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/9/15/5964a249-1479-4a77-9fa5-be4fa7c1c7b5.Medium.jpg" alt="" /></strong></font></p><p><strong><font size="2">Triton, Cantaloupe Terrain with Europa & Enceladus type faulting.</font><br /> <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/7/13/67a260cf-4a1c-4207-8dc6-155ffebd9195.Medium.jpg" alt="" /></strong></p><p><font size="2"><strong>Triton, dark patches.</strong></font><br /> <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/6/13/e626eb60-a37c-45e7-8d5a-aa37837ffe6a.Medium.jpg" alt="" /><br /><br /><font size="2"><strong>Other bodies like the giant Jupiter moons Ganymede & Callisto, Saturn's Titan, Uranus's Titania & many KBOs may too have deep reserviors of liquid H2O.<br /></strong></font></p><p><font size="2"><strong>Andrew Brown.&nbsp; <br /></strong></font></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>
 
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