There are huge amounts of ice and steam in the space, but it is not enough. Scientists searching for extraterrestrial life, are also looking for running water, which is the needed element for life to exist. Gas clouds and nebulae of the Milky Way contain trillions and trillions of liters of water. In order to estimate the amount of water in the Universe, we should multiply this figure by the amount of galaxies, which is about 100 billion. I think I leave this calculation challenge for you..

Although there is water out in the space, we haven’t found free running water yet, only ice and steam. The form of life we understand requires free running water, and because we haven’t found it in the space, the search continues.

Where have we found water so far? Water exists in many places close to our planet, but we have found only gas and steam. The following is a list of place in the space where water exists. Earth is not in the list because it obviously contains water.

Moon. There is lots of ice under the surface of the Moon, but we don’t know if there is free running water.

Comets. Most of the comets include dirty pieces of ice that starts melting as the comets approaches the Sun.

Asteroids contain lots of ice.

Mars. The planet where our crawlers are looking for water, contains ice and steam. There is lots of evidence that water in Mars used to run free.

Jupiter and Saturn both contain steam.

Europa and Ganymedes. These moons of Jupiter are expected to contain free running water under their surface.

Enceladus. The moon of Saturn is expected to have free running water under its surface that is only few dozens of kilometers thick.

Triton. The moon of Neptune is also expected to have free running water under it surface.

Stars. The stars of the Milky Way contain huge amounts of water in their gas discs. One example of those is the newborn star founded by Spitzer probe.

Planets of other stars are expected to contain water, but so far researchers have not found evidence of freely running water. The search continues.

Source: Tiede magazine 1/2008, published in Finnish.