Astronomy Question: Download Astronomy PDF
Did water come from comets?
Answer:
One interesting theory is that most of the water came to earth from comets.
The idea is that loads of small comets, about the size of small houses, come into the atmosphere every day.
They vaporize in the atmosphere, leaving their water behind.
The idea is that 10 of these very minute for billions of years over the course of the history of the planet would lead to virtually all the water in the oceans and atmosphere!
This would be significant, as it would give an alternative explanation for the standard idea that the water came from gaseous emissions from the crust of the Earth in the early days post its initial formation...
The idea is that loads of small comets, about the size of small houses, come into the atmosphere every day.
They vaporize in the atmosphere, leaving their water behind.
The idea is that 10 of these very minute for billions of years over the course of the history of the planet would lead to virtually all the water in the oceans and atmosphere!
This would be significant, as it would give an alternative explanation for the standard idea that the water came from gaseous emissions from the crust of the Earth in the early days post its initial formation...
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