Rosetta Instrument Reignites Debate on Earth's Oceans

NASA ^ | 12/10/14

[SunkenCiv]

There are two types of comet tails: dust and gas ion. A dust tail contains small, solid particles that are about the same size found in cigarette smoke. This tail forms because sunlight pushes on these small particles, gently shoving them away from the comet’s nucleus. Because the pressure from sunlight is relatively weak, the dust particles end up forming a diffuse, curved tail. A gas ion tail forms when ultraviolet sunlight rips one or more electrons from gas atoms in the coma, making them into ions (a process called ionization). The solar wind then carries these ions straight outward away from the Sun. The resulting tail is straighter and narrower. Both types of tails may extend millions of kilometers into space. As a comet heads away from the Sun, its tail dissipates, its coma disappears, and the matter contained in its nucleus freezes into a rock-like material.

http://hubblesite.org/reference_desk/faq/answer.php.id=19&cat=solarsystem

[going hot]

I appreciate the light.

I was commenting on what the article above postulates, that this particular comet differs in ratio.

My musings are the sun could possibly change these ratios over a few billion years' time, due to it's influence when comets pass by, thus making the ratios valuable for comparison, but not for absolute statements.

[NorthMountain]

God is the source you seek.

That is both true, and not particularly helpful. The question natural sciences ask is not "Who did it?" but "How was it done?"

[going hot]

Intersting.

Question, what type of gas would that be that gets stripped of it's electron (s), thus becoming ionized?

Do ionized particles in space behave similar to ionized particles on earth?

Do they seek a more stable relationship with other ions?

[SunkenCiv]

While comets *may* be billions of years old, they only spend a few days or weeks in proximity to the Sun during each of their orbits.

[going hot]

Interesting, a few days to weeks. I was under the impression that some took a while, perhaps a few months, to finish the perihelion stage before heading out.

Still others would sport an ion trail while still quite a bit out there , more than a few weeks, on approach.

Going to have to go back to my learnin' and retune my memories.

Thank you for the information.

[SunkenCiv]

Amazingly, the earths water is really a miniscule amount | 5/15/2012 | thanks central_va.

The Louis Frank keyword:

• Astronomy Picture of the Day -- All the Water on Planet Earth
• Comet's water 'like that of Earth's oceans'
• Telescope shoots video of heavenly halo ("mystery flash" filmed from Mauna Kea, Hawaii)
• Clandestine comets found in main asteroid belt - Earth oceans origin
• Cosmic Hole-in-One Captured Over Antarctica
• Small Comets and Our Origins
• An Argument for the Cometary Origin of the Biosphere
• So, where did the water on Mars come from?

[SunkenCiv]

Comet’s water ‘like that of Earth’s oceans’
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2788555/posts

Solar System Ice: Source of Earth’s Water
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2906461/posts