Water frozen in the darkness of space doesn't appear to behave the way we thought. A new research effort using computer simulations and experiments to explore the most common form water takes in the ...

Visual representation of the structure of low-density amorphous ice. Many tiny crystallites (white) are concealed in the amorphous material (blue). “Space ice” contains tiny crystals and is not, as ...

Water frozen in the depths of space has long been considered a shapeless, frozen fog. For decades, scientists believed it formed without structure, too cold and still to grow orderly crystals. But a ...

For astronomers, probing the mysteries of “space ice”—its molecular makeup and how it formed—could be the key to understanding not just extraterrestrial geology but also the potential for alien life.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. New simulations show ice stays slippery in deep cold because its crystal structure breaks down under motion, not because it melts.