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Ojalá que el exoplaneta tuviera agua, pero es aridísimo.

Ojalá que el exoplaneta tuviera agua, pero es aridísimo.
I wish the exoplanet had water, but it is extremely arid.
From Lesson 402:Absolute superlatives (-ísimo)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Ojalá que el exoplaneta tuviera agua, pero es aridísimo.

The original adjective is árido, which has an accent mark. Why does it disappear in aridísimo?
When you add the suffix -ísimo, you are adding a new stressed syllable (the í in -ísimo always carries the written accent). Because Spanish words only have one primary stress, the original accent mark from árido is dropped.
Could I just say es muy árido instead of using aridísimo?
Yes, muy árido means "very arid" and is perfectly correct. However, adding -ísimo creates an absolute superlative. It elevates the intensity even higher, meaning "extremely arid" or "arid to the absolute highest degree," often adding a stronger emotional emphasis than just muy.
Since exoplaneta ends in "-a", shouldn't it be feminine?
No, it's masculine (el exoplaneta). It comes from the word planeta, which is one of the classic Greek-derived nouns ending in -ta, -ma, or -pa that are masculine in Spanish (like el problema, el mapa, or el poeta). Because it is masculine, the absolute superlative describing it must also be masculine (aridísimo, not aridísima).
Why does this sentence use the imperfect subjunctive (tuviera) after ojalá instead of the present subjunctive (tenga)?
We use ojalá with the imperfect subjunctive to express a wish that is unlikely or impossible in the present—a counterfactual. Saying ojalá que tuviera means "I wish it had (but I know it doesn't)." If you used the present subjunctive (ojalá que tenga), it would change the meaning to a realistic hope: "I hope it has (and it's a real possibility)."
Is the word que mandatory after ojalá in this sentence?
No, the que is entirely optional. You could easily say Ojalá el exoplaneta tuviera agua, and it would mean the exact same thing. Including que is just a common stylistic preference, especially in spoken Spanish.

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