The first isotopic analysis of a cometary coma was performed during a flyby of comet Halley by the Giotto spacecraft. These data suggest that the deuterium (heavy hydrogen)-to-hydrogen ratio (D/H) of the comet is much larger than that of the Earth’s oceans, by roughly a factor of two. Subsequent measurements of D/H ratios in comet Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake using radio astronomy appeared to support this result. The D/H ratio of the Earth seemed more consistent with the water found in carbonaceous asteroids – which is usually locked up in clay minerals. Recently the Herschel Space Observatory revealed an ocean-like ratio in the Jupiter-family comet 103P/Hartley 2, reopening the debate. We performed experiments that show that the D/H ratio in the vapor can be very different than in the comet nucleus. So, bottom line, we still have a way to go to determine whether comets or asteroids delivered the water for our oceans.
Has it been proven by isotope analysis or any other means that the earth’s oceans came from comets?
July 29, 2014 -