A new study has found that the water discovered on the moon is probably from Earth- meteorites that landed on the moon after an explosion, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Previous studies suggested that the water discovered on the moon was from a comet. But a new study has found that the water on the moon could actually belong to Earth. Water was already present on Earth. When Earth experienced an explosion 4.5 billion years ago that created a moon, scientists believe some pieces from Earth may have fallen on the moon, which may have contained water.
Scientists have long assumed that the heat from an explosion of that size would cause hydrogen and other volatile elements to boil off into space, making the Moon completely arid. Recently, NASA spacecraft and new research on samples from the Apollo missions have found evidence that the Moon actually has water, both on its surface and beneath.
"The simplest explanation for what we found is that there was water on the proto-Earth at the time of the giant impact," said Alberto Saal, associate professor of Geological Sciences at Brown University and the study's lead author. "Some of that water survived the impact, and that's what we see in the Moon."
Scientists also found that the ratio of deuterium to hydrogen seen in meteorites is similar to the water on Earth, which suggests that much of our planet's supply came from these space rocks. Scientists estimate as much as 98 percent of Earth's water came from these sources.
"With a good degree of certainty, we know that the water came to the moon and Earth from primitive meteorites now located in the outer parts of the asteroidal belt," Saal said.
Researchers said further research is required to understand the formation of satellites and planets.
"Our work suggests that even highly volatile elements may not be lost completely during a giant impact," said James Van Orman of Case Western Reserve University. "We need to go back to the drawing board and discover more about what giant impacts do, and we also need a better handle on volatile inventories in the Moon."
The research is published online in Science Express.
