2014 Study Says 30-50% of Solar System Water Predates the Sun
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · Jun 25
2014 Study Says 30-50% of Solar System Water Predates the Sun
2 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Jun 25
Summary
A 2014 Science paper led by L. Ilsedore Cleeves argued that roughly 30% to 50% of the solar system’s water ice was inherited from interstellar space rather than formed in the young Sun’s disk.
Deuterium enrichment drove that conclusion: the team modeled ion-driven chemistry in the solar nebula and found it too weak under expected disk conditions to produce all the heavy-hydrogen signature seen in solar-system water.
The claim applies to the solar system’s water reservoir—not every molecule on Earth—and suggests pre-solar ice survived into comets, asteroids and planet-building material before later cycling through oceans, rocks and life.
If the solar system was typical, the study implies many young planetary systems may begin with inherited water ice already in place, making water a common starting ingredient rather than a rare late addition.
If Earth's water is older than the Sun, did the building blocks of life also come from interstellar space?
A newly found interstellar comet has alien water. What does this reveal about how other solar systems are born?
Vast 'interstellar glaciers' have been discovered. Does this mean most planets are born with their oceans already included?
From Interstellar Ice to Earth's Oceans: Breakthroughs in the Cosmic Journey of Water and Implications for Exoplanet Habitability
Overview
Recent astronomical discoveries have greatly improved our understanding of where cosmic water comes from. The detection of a very high concentration of deuterated water in the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS shows that it formed in an extremely cold environment, very different from our Solar System. This supports the idea that much of the water in our Solar System, including Earth's, was inherited from interstellar space. Interstellar comets act as fossils, carrying clues from their distant birthplaces, which scientists can compare to our own solar system. These findings help trace the journey of water from the stars to planets like Earth.