UK scientists found in a meteorite alien water, the first discovery of this strange liquid on Earth. She was on a small rock that crashed in there.
It was exactly in Winchcombe, in Gloucestershire, in February of this year, when experts found the meteorite containing valuable clues about the origin of the water in our planet’s oceans.
According to the study that was cited in a report published on the website of Information, 12 percent of the sample was made up of water.
According to Ashley King, a researcher in the planetary materials group at the Natural History Museum, this specimen is the least contaminated that has been collected, so it offers great scientific possibilities.
Extraterrestrial water is similar to that of Earth
Speaking to Sky News, King assured that the extraterrestrial water is similar to that of our planet: “The composition of that water is very, very similar to the composition of the water in Earth’s oceans.”.
“That’s very good evidence that asteroids and bodies like Winchcombe were a very important contribution to Earth’s oceans.“, he pointed.
The meteorite, which weighed 500 grams, was not contaminated with water or terrestrial materials as it was quickly recovered after its fall, in about 12 hours according to King.
The researcher added: “For most of the meteorites, the challenge we have is that they’re just contaminated, whereas the Winchcombe meteorite we really know hasn’t, so it’s a good sample.”.
On the origin of the Earth’s water, Ashley King analyzed: “One of the big questions we have in planetary science is where did the water on Earth come from and one of the obvious places is via comets that have lots and lots of ice, or else asteroids”.
“The composition of the water in Winchcombe Rock is a much better explanation.so it would imply that asteroids, carbonaceous asteroids, were probably the main source of water for the inner solar system and for the Earth”, detailed the scientist about the debate between comets and asteroids.