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.

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.