New research says earth's water may come from the sun
According to a paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy on the 29th, an international research team led by the University of Glasgow found that water on the ground may come from the ‘sky’-the sun. The solar wind is composed of charged particles (mainly hydrogen ions) from the sun, and water was produced on the surface of dust particles carried by asteroids that hit the earth in the early solar system.
Phil Brand, director of the Space Science and Technology Center of Curtin University, Australia, said that compared with other rocky planets in the solar system, the earth's water resources are very rich, and the ocean covers about 70% of the earth's surface area. Scientists have been confused about the exact source of water for a long time.
Brand said: ‘Existing theories suggest that water was brought to Earth in the final stage of the formation of C-type asteroids (carbon-containing asteroids). However, previous tests of the isotope fingerprints of these asteroids found On average, they don’t match the water found on Earth, which means there is at least another unknown source.’
This study shows that solar wind produces water on the surface of tiny dust particles, and this lighter isotope of water is likely to provide a source of water for the earth.
S-type asteroids are asteroids with silicon as the main component and are the second largest group of stars after C-type asteroids. By analyzing the tiny fragments of the S-type near-Earth asteroid ‘Sichuan’ atom by atom, the researchers came up with this new ‘solar wind theory.’ The debris sample was collected by the Japanese Hayabusa asteroid probe and brought back to Earth in 2010.
The world-class atom probe tomography system at Curtin University in Australia allows researchers to observe in great detail the nano-scale dust particles on the surface of the ‘Sichuan’ asteroid. They found that these particles contained enough water, which, if scaled up, would be equivalent to approximately 20 liters of water per cubic meter of rock.
Dr. Luke Daly from the University of Glasgow said that this research not only allows scientists to understand the source of the earth's water resources but also helps future space missions.
‘How astronauts can get enough water without carrying supplies is one of the obstacles to future space exploration.’ Daly said, ‘Research shows that the process of space weathering that produces water on the asteroid ‘Sichuan’ is very likely. It also happens on other planets without air, which means that astronauts may be able to produce fresh water directly from the dust on the planet's surface, such as on the moon.’
Where does the water on earth come from? This is an important scientific question. During the evolution of the earth, water played a key role. Researchers have put forward a variety of hypotheses, such as water that was knocked out by a comet or asteroid, or that the earth was ‘born’ by its ability, and it was hidden in the crust and mantle when it was formed. Others believe that the water is blown out by the solar wind. The research mentioned in this article supports the solar wind hypothesis. They analyzed the tiny fragments of asteroids and found that the solar wind produced water on the surface of tiny dust particles. This will not only help solve the mystery of the origin of the earth's water but also provide new ideas for future astronauts to solve the problem of water sources in space.
