Comets Throw Light On Solar System's Beginnings
Monday, September 8, 2008 - 09:28
in Physics & Chemistry
The early solar system is commonly believed to have been formed from a cold outer region and a hot inner region, which did not exchange material. But the comet Wild-2 contains both iron oxides, which suggests that it was exposed to small trickles of water, and chromium oxide (a high temperature mineral). This means that material must have moved between the two regions.