Extraterrestrial Water Found In Meteorite For First Time
Science/Medical/Technology
Wednesday 21st, September 2022
For the first time water with an extraterrestrial origin has been found in a meteorite that fell to Earth in the United Kingdom.
The meteorite which is know as the Winchcombe meteorite fell to Earth on a road in the town of Gloucestershire in February 2021. The meteorite was retrieved approximately 12 hours after it fell to earth and measured at 0.5kg in weight.
The Wilcox family discovered the meteorite's initial bits, and the following month meteorite hunters discovered further pieces.
The discovery announced by Dr. Ashley King at The British Science Festival, the festival travels the United Kingdom and is held at a different location each year.
Dr King stated that the meteorite is made up of 12 percent of water, there is also additional information that can be taken from the meteorite as the meteorite is said to have low contamination. Dr King said, "The composition of that water is very, very similar to the composition of water in the Earth’s oceans,".
"We always try and match the composition of the water meteorites and other extra-terrestrial materials to the composition of the water on the Earth,"
"For most meteorites, the challenge we have is that they are just contaminated, whereas with Winchcombe we really know that it really hasn’t been contaminated, so it’s good evidence."
"One of the big questions we have in planetary sciences is where did the water on Earth come from? And one of the obvious places is either through comets that have loads and loads of ice in them or asteroids,"
The meteorite is 4.6 billion years old and came from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. On May 17, 2021, fragments of the meteorite were on display at the London Natural History Museum.
The meteorite which is know as the Winchcombe meteorite fell to Earth on a road in the town of Gloucestershire in February 2021. The meteorite was retrieved approximately 12 hours after it fell to earth and measured at 0.5kg in weight.
The Wilcox family discovered the meteorite's initial bits, and the following month meteorite hunters discovered further pieces.
The discovery announced by Dr. Ashley King at The British Science Festival, the festival travels the United Kingdom and is held at a different location each year.
Dr King stated that the meteorite is made up of 12 percent of water, there is also additional information that can be taken from the meteorite as the meteorite is said to have low contamination. Dr King said, "The composition of that water is very, very similar to the composition of water in the Earth’s oceans,".
"We always try and match the composition of the water meteorites and other extra-terrestrial materials to the composition of the water on the Earth,"
"For most meteorites, the challenge we have is that they are just contaminated, whereas with Winchcombe we really know that it really hasn’t been contaminated, so it’s good evidence."
"One of the big questions we have in planetary sciences is where did the water on Earth come from? And one of the obvious places is either through comets that have loads and loads of ice in them or asteroids,"
The meteorite is 4.6 billion years old and came from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. On May 17, 2021, fragments of the meteorite were on display at the London Natural History Museum.
