It's not uniformly distributed ... it's not like it's hiding in the dirt and we just didn't see it.
The common expectation was that water would be all over the surface. But what we found was that it was in small, discrete areas.
These results show that there is ice on the surface, but not very much and definitely not enough to account for the water we see in the out-gassed material that is in the coma [the cloud of gas and dust that surrounds the comet].
Understanding a comet's water cycle and supply is critical to understanding these bodies as a system and as a possible source that delivered water to Earth.
We have known for a long time that water ice exists in comets, but this is the first evidence of water ice on comets.
Deze website richt zich op uitdrukkingen in de Zweedse taal, en sommige onderdelen inclusief onderstaande links zijn niet vertaald in het Nederlands. Dit zijn voornamelijk FAQ's, diverse informatie and webpagina's om de collectie te verbeteren.
Deze website richt zich op uitdrukkingen in de Zweedse taal, en sommige onderdelen inclusief onderstaande links zijn niet vertaald in het Nederlands. Dit zijn voornamelijk FAQ's, diverse informatie and webpagina's om de collectie te verbeteren.