How much water does Comet Linnier contain?

A topic that scientists often argue is: Are the water and organic compounds needed for the origin of life on the primitive earth "self-produced" or from outer space?

Some scientists believe that in the early days of the earth's formation, many ice-rich comets hit the earth and brought a lot of water. After the ice hits the earth, it will not cause great damage like an asteroid, so water can be preserved, forming huge lakes and oceans, providing conditions for the birth of life on earth.

However, some scientists have questioned this, because according to the analysis of Halley's Comet and comet hale-bopp, the water composition of these comets is not exactly the same as that of the earth's oceans. The water of comets contains more tritium and its compounds, and the heavy water content is twice that of the earth's oceans.

It is difficult to judge at the moment when the public is right and the old woman is right.

In mid-July, 2000, a newly discovered comet named "Linnier" entered Ursa Major, moving in the night sky at a speed of 6 degrees every day and flying towards the sun day and night. According to the calculation of astronomers, it was originally located outside Jupiter, and its orbit was changed due to the gravity of the big planet, which may be the first time to enter the solar system.

Astronomers began to follow the comet continuously with telescopes. In late July, Comet Linnier got closer and closer to the sun. Astronomers saw a violent explosion wave similar to a volcanic eruption on the surface of the comet nucleus. Many large pieces of matter were thrown away from the nucleus, and a large amount of gas and dust erupted, forming a foggy tail. In just 4 hours, the comet lit up 1 times.

When the comet passed the perihelion, astronomers suddenly found that comet Linnier had completely disintegrated under the strong solar wind erosion. The central part of the comet nucleus first becomes longer, then becomes a straight line, and the scattered fragments become "micro comets", each with a diameter of only tens of meters. The brightness of the comet suddenly darkened and gradually disappeared after a week.

This is the first time that humans have observed the whole process of comet disintegration in detail. According to the astronomers' analysis of the material characteristics ejected by comet Linnier, it is confirmed that the comet nucleus is really composed of loose dust, rocks and ice. These substances are only maintained by weak gravity and the cohesion of ice. The heat of the sun makes the ice volatilize violently and promotes the disintegration of the comet nucleus.

Researchers estimate that about 3.3 million tons of ice were evaporated when comet Linnier disintegrated. If this comet hits the earth, it will contain enough water to form a big lake. This observation also found that the chemical composition of comet Linnier is basically the same as that of water on earth. In a sense, this also proves that there is indeed a kind of comet, mostly from Jupiter's orbit, also known as "Jupiter family comet", which frequently attacked the earth shortly after the formation of the solar system and was the main source of water on the primitive earth. The ice in this kind of comet was formed in the primitive nebula of the solar system, while the ice in Halley's comet and Hale-Popper's comet may be formed in the interstellar cloud at the edge of the solar system, and their chemical compositions are different.