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Water is one of the simplest molecules, composed of one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms, and can be found in all celestial bodies of the solar system. However, water is only useful for life in a liquid state, and extraterrestrial water is commonly found as water vapor or ice. Liquid water also has several properties that are beneficial for lifeforms.
Water can persist at higher temperatures than normal in the form of hydrated minerals: those minerals which can bind water molecules at the crystalline level. Salts, including halite (table salt, NaCl) are ionic and attract individual, polar water molecules with electrostatic forces. Alternately, the parent mineral may be e. g., sulfate, and ...
Some molecules have simple spectra which are easy to identify, whilst others (even some small molecules) have extremely complex spectra with flux spread among many different lines, making them far harder to detect. [3] Interactions between the atomic nuclei and the electrons sometimes cause further hyperfine structure of the spectral lines.
Cosmic dust – also called extraterrestrial dust, space dust, or star dust – is dust that occurs in outer space or has fallen onto Earth. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] Most cosmic dust particles measure between a few molecules and 0.1 mm (100 μm ), such as micrometeoroids (<30 μm) and meteoroids (>30 μm). [ 3 ]
Although the Sun is a star, its photosphere has a low enough temperature of 6,000 K (5,730 °C; 10,340 °F), and therefore molecules can form. Water has been found on the Sun, and there is evidence of H 2 in white dwarf stellar atmospheres. [2] [4] Cooler stars include absorption band spectra that are
Although trace amounts of water were found in lunar rock samples collected by Apollo astronauts, this was assumed to be a result of contamination, and the majority of the lunar surface was generally assumed to be completely dry. [22] However, a 2008 study of lunar rock samples revealed evidence of water molecules trapped in volcanic glass beads ...
The astronauts aboard the Boeing Starliner could remain in space for several months – but many wonder if they have enough food and water to survive that long.. During a recent interview with the ...
A number of molecules exist in interstellar space, which can form dust particles as tiny as 0.1 μm. [137] The tally of molecules discovered through radio astronomy is steadily increasing at the rate of about four new species per year.