In a groundbreaking study, astronomers have made a significant discovery, revealing that rocky alien worlds may harbor substantial amounts of water right from their formation.

The quest for potentially habitable exoplanets has predominantly revolved around the presence of water, as life on Earth is intricately linked to this vital element.

Prior research suggested that Earth’s water originated mainly from water-carrying asteroids colliding with our early planet, Space .com has reported.

However, the latest findings propose that water could also play a role as one of the fundamental building blocks of rocky planets right from their inception.

In their investigation, scientists focused on a youthful star known as PDS 70, positioned approximately 370 light-years away from Earth.

PDS 70 is just about three-quarters the mass of our sun and is comparatively young, with an age of approximately 5.4 million years, in contrast to the sun’s age of roughly 4.6 billion years.

These findings shed new light on the potential origins of water on rocky planets and offer intriguing insights into the formation of habitable worlds beyond our solar system.

Written by staff