The Humble Beginnings of Extraterrestrial Oceans? (IMAGE)

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

The Humble Beginnings of Extraterrestrial Oceans?

Caption

This is a cross-section of a planet-forming disk surrounding a young star. Similar to the ozone layer that protects life on Earth, the "shielding layer" of water vapor (red) protects the planet-forming zone (blue) from molecule-destroying ultraviolet radiation. This image relates to an article that appeared in the Dec. 18 issue of Science, published by AAAS. The study, by Dr. Thomas Bethell of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., and colleagues, was titled, "Formation and Survival of Water Vapor in the Terrestrial Planet-Forming Region."

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Image © <i>Science</i>/AAAS

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