Comet 67P's water has the same molecular signature as Earth's oceans, suggesting it may have contributed to Earth's water supply.
New research indicates that the water on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko has a molecular signature closely matching that of water found in Earth ’s oceans.
Additionally, evidence suggests that a significant proportion of Earth’s oceans was derived from icy bodies like asteroids and possibly comets that collided with our planet during the early years of the solar system. Previous measurements of Jupiter-family comets revealed a strong link between their water and Earth’s based on a crucial molecular signature.
Over the last two decades, water vapor measurements in several Jupiter-family comets indicated deuterium levels similar to those found in Earth’s water, suggesting a potential connection in water delivery to Earth.“It was starting to look like these comets played a major role in delivering water to Earth,” Mandt noted.
Mandt expressed her curiosity, stating, “I was just curious if we could find evidence for that happening at 67P.”
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