Basically they've discovered a planet -- the second smallest planet ever discovered, only 3 times bigger than Earth. Even though it's in close, and hot, the scientists think it's possible that a thick atmosphere could mean it has water on the surface "in a liquid state". (Note that the planet is only 40 light-years away, too.)
Here's what the first paragraph says:
"And though astronomers are pretty certain the water exists, they don't know its state, with speculations ranging from liquid water to water ice and an exotic state called a superfluid."
This last bit immediately called to mind Hal Clement's sci-fi novel "Close to Critical": (btw, Hal's real name was Harry Clement Stubbs)
To summarize (thanks to Wikipedia,and I really need to send my donation):
"The book is set on the planet Tenebra, a planet of the star Altair and a world with thick atmosphere, a shifting crust, crushingly-strong gravity and surface temperatures of just over 374 degrees Celsius, close to the critical point of water. Human scientists have spent the last two decades studying Tenebra's intelligent life from the safety of an orbiting laboratory."
What's the critical point of water, you ask?
Back to Wikipedia:
Critical point (thermodynamics)
So on Tenebra, during the day, it warms up, the oceans evaporate. Sea level goes down by tens of meters in a day. When the Sun sets, it cools off. It rains; big hot-air-balloon size raindrops. The cover illustration from this version of the book portrays this.
Just think; we might have a Tenebra only 40 light years away.
Hal would have been very happy. (He died in 2003.)
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