Earth’s Water is Older Than the Sun

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1 Aug 2023

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👋Hello curious minds, welcome to this post, where we will explore a fascinating topic: Earth’s water is older than the Sun. This may sound unbelievable, but it is based on scientific evidence and research.

📌In this post, I will explain how this discovery was made, what it means for the origin and history of water in our solar system and beyond, and what implications it has for life in the universe. I hope you enjoy reading this post and learn something new and exciting. Let’s dive in!

Water is essential for life as we know it, but where did it come from? How did our planet get so wet and blue? And is water a common ingredient in other worlds?
These are some of the questions that scientists have been trying to answer for decades. And now, they have found a surprising clue: Earth’s water is older than the Sun.

💧 How Old is Water?

According to a study published in 2014, as much as half of the water in Earth’s oceans could be older than the Sun, which was born 4.6 billion years ago. This means that some of the water molecules we drink today were formed in the cold and dark interstellar clouds of gas and dust that existed before our solar system.

How did the researchers come to this conclusion? They used a computer model to simulate the conditions in the disk of gas and dust that surrounded the young Sun, where the planets were forming. They calculated how much radiation from the star and from outer space would have hit the disk, and how that would have affected the water molecules.

🌞 The Sun’s Influence on Water

Water molecules are made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. But not all hydrogen atoms are the same. Some of them have an extra neutron in their nucleus, making them heavier. This isotope of hydrogen is called deuterium, and water molecules that contain it are called heavy water.

The researchers found that the amount of heavy water in the disk depended on how much radiation was present. Radiation can break up water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, and also change the ratio of deuterium to normal hydrogen. The more radiation, the more heavy water would be produced.

But when they compared their model predictions with the actual amount of heavy water in our solar system today, they found a mismatch. The model underestimated the amount of heavy water by a factor of two. This means that there must have been another source of heavy water that was not affected by the Sun’s radiation.

🌠 The Interstellar Origin of Water

The researchers realized that this source could be the interstellar clouds where stars form. These clouds are very cold and dense and contain abundant water in the form of ice. They are also exposed to cosmic rays, which can increase the amount of deuterium in water molecules.

The researchers estimated that somewhere between 30% and 50% of Earth’s water must have come from these interstellar clouds, and survived the star-forming process. This implies that water is not a rare or special product of our solar system, but a universal ingredient that is available for planet formation in other stellar systems.

This idea is supported by another study published in 2019, which detected water vapor around a young star called V883 Orionis, located 1,305 light years away from Earth. The researchers said that this water had the same chemical signature as Earth’s water, suggesting a common origin.

🚀 The Implications for Life

What does this mean for life in the universe? It means that water may be more abundant and widespread than we thought. It also means that some of the water on Earth may have been delivered by comets and asteroids that originated from other parts of the galaxy, carrying with them organic molecules that could have sparked life.

But water alone is not enough for life to emerge and thrive. There are many other factors that influence habitability, such as temperature, atmosphere, geology, and magnetism. And even if life does exist elsewhere, it may not be easy to detect or communicate with.

Nevertheless, knowing that Earth’s water is older than the Sun gives us a new perspective on our place in the cosmos. We are not only made of stardust but also of star water. We share a common history and heritage with other worlds that may harbor life.

😒 Question for the Reader: What do you think about this discovery? Do you think there is life beyond Earth? Share your thoughts in the comments below! 👇💬😊

`If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to share them with me. I would love to hear from you. And if you want to learn more exoplanets and astronomy and other science topics, please check out our other articles and resources.`

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📚 Sources:

(1) Earth Has Water Older Than the Sun | Scientific American

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earth-has-water-older-than-the-sun/

(2) Earth has water older than the Sun | Nature

https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2014.16011.pdf

(3) Scientists Find Missing Link For Water On Earth, Say It's Older Than Sun | NDTV

https://www.ndtv.com/science/scientists-find-missing-link-for-water-on-earth-say-its-older-than-sun-3859827

(4) The water in your bottle might be older than the sun | University of Michigan News

https://news.umich.edu/the-water-in-your-bottle-might-be-older-than-the-sun/

(5) Water on Earth may be older than our Sun: Study | The Economic Times

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/water-on-earth-may-be-older-than-our-sun-study/articleshow/98511203.cms

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