A meteorite the size of a basketball that fell in England could explain the cosmic origin of water. It contains the same water as on Earth.
Scientists have long been trying to unravel the mystery of the origin of water. But a meteorite that fell in England can help get closer to its solution. It is estimated to be 4.6 billion years old and has evidence that water came to Earth from the outer solar system.
According to The Guardian, scientists from the UK conducted a study of a meteorite that fell to Earth last year. According to published data, there is water in the meteorite, which is similar to water on our planet. The researchers believe that it was precisely such space rocks that came to us from the outer regions of the solar system billions of years ago that brought chemically important components that influenced the development of the oceans and life on Earth.
Ashley King of the Natural History Museum, London, UK, says that the meteorite was taken to the laboratory immediately after the fall. Therefore, no terrestrial substances had time to penetrate into it. It is one of the most crystal clear rocks from the early solar system.
After analyzing the meteorite, it became clear that it is 11% water, similar to the earth, and 2% carbon. It is the first stone that belongs to the class of the most ancient space rocks, carbonaceous chondrites, which was found in the UK. It is in such meteorites that substances from the early stage of the formation of the solar system are found.
The meteorite arrived on Earth in the form of a basketball. Before that, it was part of a large asteroid. Scientists believe it came from part of our star system, somewhere beyond Jupiter.
In addition to water, there are extraterrestrial amino acids in the stone, which are the main building blocks for the emergence of life. Thanks to this, we can say that water and organic matter were delivered to Earth by asteroids.
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