Comet Catalina Suggests Comets Delivered Carbon to Rocky Planets Source: NASA
Comet Catalina
In early 2016, an icy visitor from the edge of our solar system hurtled past Earth. It briefly became visible to stargazers as Comet Catalina before it slingshot past the Sun to disappear forevermore out of the solar system.
Among the many observatories that captured a view of this comet, which appeared near the Big Dipper, was the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, NASA s telescope on an airplane. Using one of its unique infrared instruments, SOFIA was able to pick out a familiar fingerprint within the dusty glow of the comet s tail - carbon.
In 2016 a comet flew past the Earth known as Comet Catalina. The comet was briefly visible to astronomers on Earth before it flew past the sun and disappeared
March 8th, 2021
NASA/SOFIA/Lynette Cook
NASA s airborne telescope has made another major discovery just months after it confirmed the presence of water on the Moon s sunlit surfaces. SOFIA s latest find relates to the essence left by an icy comet that zipped past Earth in 2016 from its origins on the outskirts of our solar system. Using one of its infrared instruments, the telescope was able to detect carbon a key ingredient of life in the dusty glow of Comet Catalina s tail.
The celestial visitor, which was briefly visible to stargazers before it slingshot past the Sun and out of view, is now helping scientists to unlock the mysteries of our own origins. NASA says comets like it could have delivered carbon to planets during the early formation of our solar system, when the Earth may have struggled to capture enough of the life-giving element on its own due to the carbon-depleting effects of primordial heat.
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Carbon-Rich Comets May Have Led To Life As We Know It On Earth
Representational image
Comets could have been an essential source of carbon on planets like Earth and Mars during the early formation of the solar system, says a new study.
“Carbon is key to learning about the origins of life,” said the paper’s lead author, Charles Woodward, Professor at the University of Minnesota in the US.
“We’re still not sure if Earth could have trapped enough carbon on its own during its formation, so carbon-rich comets could have been an important source delivering this essential element that led to life as we know it.”