News Planetary Science

Rosetta casts doubt on comets as Earth’s water providers

Comet 67P’s atmosphere contains a surprisingly high fraction of deuterium

67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

GETTING FUZZY  The basic chemistry of a comet’s thin, hazy atmosphere offers hints about how water got to Earth. It may not have been on the backs of comets like 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

NAVCAM/Rosetta/ESA (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0)

By Ashley Yeager

- More than 2 years ago

Data from the Rosetta mission are raising doubts about the idea that Earth’s oceans are filled with water from comets.