Docent lecture Per Bergman

Here on Earth, water is a key ingredient to life as we know it. But what do we know about water beyond our solar system and how do we observe it? I will discuss various aspects of water vapour in relation to radioastronomical observations of different astronomical environments. The focus will be on observations of spectroscopic lines from cm to sub-mm wavelengths.

I will address water vapour observations of interstellar molecular clouds and circumstellar envelopes using both ground-based and space-borne telescopes.

Finally, I will consider observations of comets and their possible connection to the water on our Earth.