Where did Earth's water come from?

Does Earth's water actually come from the scorching sun? Curtin University researchers have helped unravel the enduring mystery of the origins of the Earth's water, finding the sun to be a surprisingly likely source. A University of Glasgow-led international team of researchers, including those from Curtin Space Science and Technology Centre, found that the solar wind actually created water on the surface of dust grains, carried on asteroids that smashed into the Earth during the early days of the solar system. Welcome to Science Unmasked. Please subscribe and turn on the notification button so you can get our latest videos. Solar wind is comprised of charged particles from the sun, largely made out of hydrogen ions. Space Science and Technology Centre director Professor Phil Bland said that the Earth was very water-rich compared to other rocky planets in the solar system. With oceans covering more than 70% of its surface, and scientists had long puzzled over the exact source of it all. Professor Bland said that an existing theory is that water was carried to Earth in the final stages of its formation on sea-type asteroids. However, previous testing of the isotopic fingerprint of these asteroids found they, on average, didn't match with the water found on Earth, meaning there was at least one other unaccounted for source. His research suggests the solar wind created water on the surface of tiny dust grains, and this isotopically lighter water likely provided the remainder of Earth's water. This new solar wind theory is based on meticulous atom-by-atom analysis of miniscule fragments of an S-type near-Earth asteroid known as Itokawa, samples of which were collected by the Japanese space probe Hayabusa and returned to Earth in 2010. He said the world-class atom probe tomography system at Curtin University allowed them to take an incredibly detailed look inside the first 50 nanometres or so of the surface of Itokawa dust grains, which they found contained enough water that if scaled up would amount to about 20 litres of every cubic metre of rock. Curtin graduate Dr Luke Daly, now of the University of Glasgow, said the research not only gives scientists a remarkable insight into the past source of Earth's water but could also help future space missions. He said that the question of how astronauts would get sufficient water without carrying water supplies is one of the barriers of future space exploration. He said that the research shows the same space weathering process which created water on Itokawa likely occurred on the other airless planets meaning astronauts may be able to process fresh supplies of water straight from the dust on a planet's surface such as the moon. That's all from Science Unlost. Remember to subscribe and like our videos and share it with your friends.