Finding an ocean on an exoplanet would be huge, and the Habitable Worlds Observatory could do it

On Earth, water is so intertwined with life that our search for life on other worlds is essentially a search for water. When scientists find exoplanets around distant stars, a primary consideration is if they’re in the stars’ habitable zones where liquid water could persist on the planet’s surface. The search for atmospheric biosignatures takes a backseat to the search for water.