A Strong Case For Panspermia
Panspermia: Seeds Everywhere.
Water Ice and Organic Material Found for First Time on Asteroid
"A thin film of water ice and organic materials coats the space rock named 24 Themis, according to a study released today. That discovery marks the first-ever direct detection of water ice on an asteroid, and adds evidence to theories about how asteroids could have brought water and organic material to a primordial Earth.
A NASA telescope on Hawaii's Mauna Kea helped scientists gauge the spectrum of infrared sunlight reflected by 24 Themis. Their findings revealed a spectrum consistent with both frozen water and organic material on the 124-mile-wide asteroid, which sits halfway between Mars and Jupiter.
That presented a bit of a mystery, because sunlight would typically cause ice on the asteroid's surface to vaporize. But the latest study published in the journal Nature suggests that ice gets continually replenished by outgassing of water vapor through cracks from inside the asteroid.
Themis belongs to a family of asteroids which formed from the breakup of a larger body long ago, and so it's likely that the parent body had ice. The results may force scientists to rethink their view of the early solar system's evolution.
"It now appears that when the asteroids and planets were first forming in the very early Solar System, ice extended far into the Main Belt region," said Josh Emery, a planetary scientist at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. "Extending this refined view to planetary systems around other stars, the building blocks of life -- water and organics -- may be more common near each star's habitable zone."
related - Nasa: Evidence of life on Mars
"NASA scientists last night unveiled compelling evidence of life on Mars.
A special mission to the Red Planet has revealed the likely presence of a form of pond scum - the building blocks of life as we know it.
NASA unveiled the results of the recent Opportunity and Spirit probes sent millions of miles through the solar system to discover signs of extraterrestrial life.
The results are so promising boffins have already planned a host of other missions to discover whether there is extraterrestrial life in the universe.
The recent missions have gathered evidence of sulphates on Mars, a strong indication there is water on the planet and therefore life."
pond scum
pond
Water Ice and Organic Material Found for First Time on Asteroid
"A thin film of water ice and organic materials coats the space rock named 24 Themis, according to a study released today. That discovery marks the first-ever direct detection of water ice on an asteroid, and adds evidence to theories about how asteroids could have brought water and organic material to a primordial Earth.
A NASA telescope on Hawaii's Mauna Kea helped scientists gauge the spectrum of infrared sunlight reflected by 24 Themis. Their findings revealed a spectrum consistent with both frozen water and organic material on the 124-mile-wide asteroid, which sits halfway between Mars and Jupiter.
That presented a bit of a mystery, because sunlight would typically cause ice on the asteroid's surface to vaporize. But the latest study published in the journal Nature suggests that ice gets continually replenished by outgassing of water vapor through cracks from inside the asteroid.
Themis belongs to a family of asteroids which formed from the breakup of a larger body long ago, and so it's likely that the parent body had ice. The results may force scientists to rethink their view of the early solar system's evolution.
"It now appears that when the asteroids and planets were first forming in the very early Solar System, ice extended far into the Main Belt region," said Josh Emery, a planetary scientist at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. "Extending this refined view to planetary systems around other stars, the building blocks of life -- water and organics -- may be more common near each star's habitable zone."
related - Nasa: Evidence of life on Mars
"NASA scientists last night unveiled compelling evidence of life on Mars.
A special mission to the Red Planet has revealed the likely presence of a form of pond scum - the building blocks of life as we know it.
NASA unveiled the results of the recent Opportunity and Spirit probes sent millions of miles through the solar system to discover signs of extraterrestrial life.
The results are so promising boffins have already planned a host of other missions to discover whether there is extraterrestrial life in the universe.
The recent missions have gathered evidence of sulphates on Mars, a strong indication there is water on the planet and therefore life."
pond scum
pond
posted by nolocontendere at 8:33 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home