Study Reveals How Earth Got Its Water
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14 July 2024
There is a new class of space objects known as "dark comets" that may provide information on the origins of Earth's water
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These objects could account for as much as 60% of all near-Earth objects; they seem to be asteroids with ice hidden beneath their surface
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Dark comets are not blurry like regular comets' coma and tails. They show acceleration, suggesting the existence of unobserved emissions
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Researchers believe these dark comets originate from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter
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Through computer simulations, they were able to mimic the dark comets' orbits and trace them back to the inner part of the asteroid belt
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It supports the theory that icy materials are common within the asteroid belt
Image: NASA
The discovery of dark comets strengthens the possibility that icy objects delivered water to Earth early in its formation
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This idea is further bolstered by the existence of "active asteroids"-objects that display comet-like behaviour within the asteroid belt
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While the exact connection between dark comets and active asteroids remains unclear, both could be key players in the story of Earth's water
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Future studies will likely shed more light on these intriguing celestial bodies
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