This is how water may have originated on Earth. New study makes startling revelations about comets
comets may have delivered water to Earth. This theory has faced challenges due to conflicting data from past research. New findings suggest dust on comets could affect key measurements.
How did water emerge on Earth?
Scientists have believed for a long time that Earth's water originated from icy bodies in the outer solar system. These include asteroids and Jupiter-family comets influenced by Jupiter's gravity. The theory is based on deuterium-to-hydrogen ratios in water. Deuterium, a hydrogen isotope, is a marker for where water forms in the solar system. Water with higher deuterium levels likely formed farther from the sun.
Also Read: Demi Moore gives big update on Bruce Willis' dementia battle and says wouldn't wish upon anyone
Rosetta Mission
The 2014 Rosetta mission to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko had challenged this theory. It found deuterium levels three times higher than those in oceans of Earth. This discovery raised doubts about comets’ role in delivering water to Earth. Scientists needed to explain this discrepancy.
NASA scientist Kathleen Mandt and her team revisited the Rosetta data. They hypothesized that cometary dust might influence deuterium measurements. Dust grains on comets retain water with more deuterium. When comets approach the sun, they release gas and dust. This process could make the water vapor seem richer in deuterium than it truly is. Laboratory experiments and comet observations supported this idea.
Artificial Intelligence(AI)
Master in Python Language Quickly Using the ChatGPT
