The Sun, or more specifically, solar winds, may be the source of the seeds that formed Earth’s oceans, as well as the conditions necessary for all life, including our own, to emerge.
A new study led by Professor Phil Bland, director of the Space Science and Technology Center at Curtin University (Australia), confirms that a significant portion of Earth’s water originates from the Sun.
Itokawa and the Sun in Earth’s early days – (Graphic image from Curtin University)
According to Sci-News, the process of “raining water” onto Earth occurred when our planet was still in its infancy, during its formation stage. Solar winds carry solar particles, primarily made up of hydrogen ions, which contribute to the formation of water on the surfaces of dust particles surrounding asteroids. These asteroids then collide with Earth, bringing water with them.
Using atomic probe tomography, Professor Bland and his colleagues analyzed a grain of olivine from the near-Earth asteroid Itokawa. This sample was collected by Japan’s JAXA Hayabusa spacecraft and brought back to Earth in 2021.
The results showed that these space dust particles are so water-rich that they could yield up to 20 liters of water per cubic meter of rock.
As we know, water on Earth is primarily located on the surface and in the crust, making up only a tiny fraction of the planet’s composition. This water is believed to have been delivered by ancient asteroids and comets, as there is substantial evidence that the early Earth experienced meteorite showers over a prolonged period, sufficient to provide the amount of water for all the oceans, rivers, and lakes we see today.
The study was recently published in Nature Astronomy.
