Water exists everywhere, and every day we require a massive amount of it. However, the origin of this “foundation of life” remains unclear.
There are two theories proposed. The first hypothesis suggests that Earth “leaks” water through gas clouds. The second hypothesis posits that water was brought to Earth by meteoroids during their impact with our planet. To date, scientists have not reached a consensus on which hypothesis is correct.
Hypothesis 1: During the formation of star generations, gas clouds are continuously enriched with heavy components such as dust and water. In some of these dust clouds, new stars form, surrounded by the “gas disks” that formed about 5 billion years ago. The gas and dust rings of the early solar system were ten times larger than our current solar system.
Over time, in these gas rings, “rocks” gradually formed by the gradual aggregation of smaller particles and debris, laying the groundwork for a star. Through collisions and friction, these asteroids continued to coalesce into larger planets. Eventually, they formed the large planets such as Saturn, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
These primordial planets contained not only dust but also ice. The first water particles that existed on the planets were in the form of gas clouds. However, most of them were lost when the asteroids were still red-hot, evaporating back into space. Nevertheless, Earth continued to cool down, and volcanoes spewed gas clouds combined with other gases like CO2, methane, and ammonia. Eventually, Earth cooled enough for water vapor in the atmosphere to condense into clouds, leading to rain, and the water gradually soaked into the ground to create seas, rivers, lakes…
Hypothesis 2: Most scientists believe that Earth alone, when cold, would not have enough water to form the seas we see today. Water must have come from another source. One theory suggests that water came from meteoroids with a radius of kilometers orbiting Earth during its formation. When these meteoroids fell to Earth, the water contained within them was stored in the form of ice. There is also evidence supporting this theory: the gigantic “impact craters” on the Moon, where cold winds still carry water vapor. Astronomers studying the formation of the Moon have shown that water still exists there in the form of ice.
Water – one of the most essential components of life, is incredibly familiar to us each day. However, finding a proper scientific explanation for the existence of water on Earth and its relationship to life remains a significant question that humanity continues to seek answers for.
