From where do comets get their water?

25 February 2013

Part of the show Captivated by Comets

hartley2close_epoxi_410.jpg

This image shows a close-up view of comet 103P/Hartley 2. It was taken by NASA's EPOXI mission, which flew past the comet on 4 November 2011. Comet 103P/Hartley 2 is a Jupiter-Family comet, with an orbital period of 6.46 years and perihelion near the...

Credit:

NASA, JPL-Caltech, UMD, EPOXI Mission

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Where does the ice and water come from that makes up the comet? Do water molecules exist in space?

Answer

We put this question to Dr Jonathan Shanklin, director of the Comet sections of the British Astronomical Association and the Society for Popular Astronomy...

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Answers to Science Questions

From where do comets get their water?

Part of the show Captivated by Comets

hartley2close_epoxi_410.jpg

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