Meteorites provide the answer to the long-standing mystery of the origin of planets in the solar system
Meteorite analysis unravels the mystery of earth's Martian origins
A work of art of an asteroid hitting Earth (Credit: Credit: NASA/Don Davis)
A new study suggests that Mars and Earth may have been born out of collisions between huge rocks the size of the moon, rather than by dust materials that clump together over time.
Previous research suggests that earth-sized rocky planets could form in two ways. Classical models suggest that rocks the size of the moon to Mars are called planetary embryos, which then form the final planets through regular collisions in the solar system. A recent view is that under the influence of the Sun's gravity, material outside the solar system converges to gradually form rocky planets. This process is thought to be key to the formation of planetary nuclei on giant planets such as Jupiter and Saturn.
To test which theory better explains the formation of rocky planets in the solar system, the scientists analyzed 0.77 ounces (22 grams) of meteorite samples coming to Mars. These rocks flew into space when ancient asteroids collided with Mars and were eventually captured by Earth's gravity.
The researchers examined and compared the differences in isotopic composition in these samples. Isotopes are made up of the same chemical element, but the number of neutrons in the nucleus varies, for example, there are 142 neutrons in the nucleus of uranium 234 and 146 neutrons in uranium 238.
Scientists have compared the isotopes of titanium, zirconium, and molybdenum in Martian meteorites with those of these elements in Earth's rocks and meteorites from inside and outside the solar system. The results found that the composition of Earth and Martian rocks was closer to that of meteorites in the solar system, of which only about 4% of the composition was similar to that of extraseasmic meteorites. Through the analysis of the composition of a large number of Martian meteorites, the contradictory results brought about by the previous study of the composition of Martian meteorites that were only carried out in small batches were successfully solved.
"In short, we have resolved various contradictory conclusions that have emerged from previous studies, making it clear that Earth and Mars are basically composed of material in the solar system. Only a small fraction of the composition of these two planets comes from outside Jupiter's orbit, so this allows us to answer the fundamental question of what the Earth is made of, while allowing us to further solve the more fundamental question of how the Earth formed. The leader of the study was the planetary scientist Christopher Berger of the University of Münster in Germany. That's what Burkhart said.
Extragamous material accumulation may play a major role in planet formation in other galaxies, but in solar systems this factor plays only a small role, most likely due to Jupiter swallowing up a large amount of extraskeletal dust material attracted by the Sun.
Burckhardt said: "There is no doubt that Jupiter as the king of the planets has had a huge impact on the solar system. If there were no Jupiter, we might be on a super-Earth or mini-Neptune (PS: Neptune is 3.86 times the diameter of Earth) today. The new study also suggests that Earth and Mars may also contain a set of space rock components unknown to the scientific community, most likely from the "direction of the Sun in Earth's orbit.". So the hunt began, and it would be an even bigger surprise if samples with predicted characteristics could be found in the collections we hadn't yet grouped. ”
Related knowledge
Mars ( Latin : Mars ) is the fourth closest planet to the Sun and the second smallest planet in the Solar System after Mercury , making it one of the four Terrestrial planets in the Solar System. The West calls Mars Mars, the god of war in Roman mythology, so in English, Mars is the meaning of the Roman god of war, usually called "Red Planet"; in ancient Chinese, it is called Ying confusion because it is like a fire, and the position and brightness often change unpredictably. Mars is the second smallest of the eight planets in the solar system, and its mass and volume are only slightly larger than Mercury. Mars is about half the diameter of the Earth, and its axis of rotation has an inclination and rotation period comparable to that of the Earth, but the orbit around the Sun is twice as long as that of the Earth. On Earth, Mars is visible to the naked eye and can reach a brightness of -2.91, which is only darker than Venus, the Moon and the Sun, but darker than Jupiter for most of the time. Mars is as close as 54 million kilometers from Earth (up to 400 million kilometers, and the probe needs to fly about 7 months to reach Mars).
The Martian atmosphere, which is dominated by carbon dioxide, is thin and cold, and its surface features are reminiscent of impact craters on the moon, as well as valleys, deserts and polar ice sheets on Earth. In English, it is often referred to as the Red Planet. [4] [5] Because Mars is visually orange-red due to the widespread distribution of iron oxides on the surface, it gives Mars a red appearance that is unique among objects visible to the naked eye. With sand dunes, gravel and no stable liquid water on the surface, the southern hemisphere of Mars is an ancient highland full of craters, and the northern hemisphere is a younger plain.
BY: Charles Q. Choi
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