If you believed that humans were the only ones having access to oxygen in abundance, you are in for a surprise. A recent discovery has revealed that a comet called 67P has oxygen in its atmosphere. According to scientists, this is the most surprising discovery till date.
Scientists who have been on the European Space Agency’s Rosetta Mission have found oxygen in the gas cloud around comet 67P. This is the very first time when oxygen has been detected on a comet. This also proves that the comet 67P was formed some time before the birth of the solar system.
As per Rosetta probe, after water vapour, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide, oxygen is the fourth most abundant gas in Comet 67P. In a cometary coma, oxygen was one of the least expected molecules, which makes the discovery surprising indeed.
Oxygen has highly reactive properties, which makes it quite difficult to hang around in space for a billion years or so without combining with any other substance. According to studies, oxygen is present all through comet 67P.
The bigger question is how the oxygen came in the comet, however, scientists suspect that the dark nebula, the birthplace of the solar system may hold the answer to the question. Also, scientists are not relating the discovery of oxygen to the presence of life in the comet.
In November 2014, the Rosetta mission landed a small probe (Philae Lander) on the surface of comet 67P, thereby creating history. The lander still rests on the surface of the comet and returned a lot of data before its batteries drained.
Image Credit: theguardian.co.uk
