enough water vapor to fill the oceans on Earth five times inside the collapsing nest

[Dr. Spitzer]

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected enough water vapor to fill the oceans on Earth five times inside the collapsing nest of a forming star system. Astronomers say the water vapor is pouring down from the system's natal cloud and smacking into a dusty disk where planets are thought to form.

 

The observations provide the first direct look at how water, an essential ingredient for life as we know it, begins to make its way into planets, possibly even rocky ones like our own.

 

"For the first time, we are seeing water being delivered to the region where planets will most likely form," said Dan Watson of the University of Rochester, N.Y. Watson is the lead author of a paper about this "steamy" young star system, appearing in the Aug. 30 issue of Nature.

 

The star system, called NGC 1333-IRAS 4B, is still growing inside a cool cocoon of gas and dust. Within this cocoon, circling around the embryonic star, is a burgeoning, warm disk of planet-forming materials. The new Spitzer data indicate that ice from the stellar embryo's outer cocoon is falling toward the forming star and vaporizing as it hits the disk.

 

"On Earth, water arrived in the form of icy asteroids and comets. Water also exists mostly as ice in the dense clouds that form stars," said Watson. "Now we've seen that water, falling as ice from a young star system's envelope to its disk, actually vaporizes on arrival. This water vapor will later freeze again into asteroids and comets."

 

Cool huh?

 

Check out the rest: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-14/release.shtml

[ecoli]

looks like we solved the middle east's fresh water problem.... now we just need a really long straw.

[Rajdilawar S]

Yea it is true, scientists are now believing that water we are using is Extra Terrestrial. According to new research most of the water came to earth by meteorite shower as per the theory of Panspermia.

 

 

Cool huh?

 

Check out the rest: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-14/release.shtml

[iNow]

Yea it is true, scientists are now believing that water we are using is Extra Terrestrial. According to new research most of the water came to earth by meteorite shower as per the theory of Panspermia.

 

Hi Rajdilawar,

 

Which scientists are those? Also, isn't the theory of panspermia specific to "life" and not "water?"

 

I'm reluctant to accept your statement without citations or support, but would be interested in further information if you have any available. Take care.

[Reaper]

Hi Rajdilawar,

 

Which scientists are those? Also, isn't the theory of panspermia specific to "life" and not "water?"

 

Yes, panspermia is specific to life, not water. It is the hypothesis that life came to this planet via space; more specifically that the materials for life are moving around, or formed, in space and crash into planets.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panspermia

 

 

This gives rise to the possibility that life could have started at several planets at once, or that life could have begun else where in the solar system and crash landed here.

 

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I do find the discovery by Spitzer quite interesting. As the article noted, it gives clues to how water settles throughout the solar system and impact how the planets would have evolved.

[Martin]

Cool huh?

 

Check out the rest: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-14/release.shtml

 

Outstanding find! Thanks for the link. I am impressed, Doctor. You've only made three posts but it seems to me you have called attention to some really interesting science developments. I nominate you for SF Astrophysics News Bureau Chief.

 

if anybody wants to know what other news items Dr. Spitzer has flagged for us here they are:

http://www.scienceforums.net/forum/search.php?searchid=347106