Study Reveals Dark Comets Could Constitute 60% of Near-Earth Objects
New research suggests these icy bodies might have played a role in delivering water to Earth.
Overview
- Dark comets combine characteristics of both asteroids and comets, lacking a coma but showing sublimation jets.
- Researchers estimate between 0.5% and 60% of near-Earth objects could be dark comets.
- These objects likely originate from the inner asteroid belt, indicating more ice in that region than previously thought.
- Dark comets' nongravitational accelerations suggest they contain subsurface ice.
- The study raises new questions about the origins of Earth's water and the dynamics of the inner solar system.