In the darkness of space…
Rock of Ages
Our solar system includes planets and their moons, as well as countless rocky asteroids and shiny comets, all whizzing around in the pitch-black vacuum of space.
But there are also mysterious objects called dark comets that have characteristics of both regular asteroids and comets, and now an international team of astronomers say that because they’re so ubiquitous, they could have brought water to Earth long ago.
The astronomers Research results published in scientific journals IcarusThey also determined that these dark comets, which may make up 60 percent of near-Earth objects, likely originate from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
“These objects are thought to come from the inner and/or outer main asteroid belt, which means this is another mechanism for bringing ice into the inner solar system,” said Aster Taylor, a doctoral candidate in astronomy at the University of Michigan and lead author of the study. statement.
According to the paper, dark comets are similar to asteroids, but they may currently or may have previously contained small amounts of ice that make them move like comets as they approach the Sun, but without the typical clouds of dust and gas.
Astronomers have studied seven near-Earth objects that they have identified as dark comets, and calculated that their existence suggests that up to 60 percent of near-Earth objects could be dark comets.
Computational models pinpointed their likely origin in the main asteroid belt, meaning this region of space could harbor reserves of ice, something some astronomers have speculated about in the past.
“There may be more ice in the inner main belt than we thought,” Taylor said.
Seed of Life
The existence and possible commonality of dark comets raises the idea that dark comets may have played a role in watering Earth during its early history.
Many astronomers Asteroids and comets brought water to Earth in the form of ice.Computational models analysing the composition of these objects suggest that they could have carried enough water to fill the oceans.
In addition to water, near-Earth objects such as asteroids and meteorites can collide with the Earth, Bacteria, Amino Acids, and Other Important Molecules It essentially acted as the molecular seed that made life possible on our home planet.
A detailed study of dark comets may bring us closer to answering the ultimate question about the origin of life.
“We don’t know if these dark comets delivered water to Earth; we can’t say for sure, but we can say that there is still debate about how Earth’s water got here,” Taylor said in a statement. “Our study shows that this is another pathway that could deliver ice from elsewhere in the solar system to the Earth’s environment.”
More about comets: The Sun blows up a comet, cutting off its tail
