The theory of water coming to Earth via asteroids reinforced by a Japanese study

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Analysis of the composition of material samples brought back from the asteroid Ryugu by a Japanese space mission lends credence to the theory of an extraterrestrial origin of water, according to a study published Monday, August 15, 2022 in the scientific journal Nature Astronomy.

C-type asteroids such as Ryugu, "rich in volatile (able to pass easily from the solid state to the gaseous state, Editor's note) and organic (or carbonaceous, Editor's note) substances, could have been one of the main sources of water on Earth", according to this study that involved Japanese and foreign researchers. "The contribution to the Earth of volatile substances, that is to say organic matter and water, is still the subject of an important debate", the study recalls. But the organic substances identified on Ryugu "probably represent an important source of volatile substances", in addition to other potential sources such as solar winds, according to the same researchers.

The asteroid Ryugu is located more than 300 million kilometers from our planet