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posted by takyon on Sunday December 23 2018, @02:23AM   Printer-friendly
from the bluewash dept.

The Planetary Science Institute reports:

By developing a new method for measuring isotopic ratios of water and carbon dioxide remotely, scientists have found that the water in Saturn's rings and satellites is unexpectedly like water on the Earth, except on Saturn's moon Phoebe, where the water is more unusual than on any other object so far studied in the Solar System.

The results [...] mean we need to change models of the formation of the Solar System because the new results are in conflict with existing models.

Isotopes are different forms of elements but with differing numbers of neutrons. Adding a neutron adds mass to the element, and that can change processes of how a planet, comet, or moon is formed. Water is composed of two hydrogen (H) atoms and one oxygen atom, H2O. Adding a neutron to one hydrogen atom, then called deuterium (D), increases the mass of a water molecule (HDO) by about 5 percent, and that small change results in isotopic differences in the formation of a planet, moon, or comet, and changes the evaporation of water after formation. The deuterium to hydrogen ratio (D/H) is a fingerprint of the formation conditions, including temperature and evolution over time. Evaporating water enriches deuterium in the remaining surface.

[...] Some models [of the formation of our solar system] predict the D/H should be 10 times higher for the Saturn system than on Earth. But the new measurements show this is not the case for Saturn's rings and satellites except Saturn's moon Phoebe.

For those who enjoy a little intriguing entertainment, it's worth noting that this finding is consistent with Velikofsky's Cosmos (which is, today, largely synonymous with the Electric Universe).

Isotopic Ratios of Saturn's Rings and Satellites: Implications for the Origin of Water and Phoebe (DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2018.11.029) (DX)


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 24 2018, @03:59AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 24 2018, @03:59AM (#778022)

    The idea is that lighter isotopes evaporate and dissipate away from the planet faster than the heavier ones. If it is warmer (closer to the sun), the effect of this difference in loss rates is larger.

  • (Score: 2) by YeaWhatevs on Monday December 24 2018, @05:02AM

    by YeaWhatevs (5623) on Monday December 24 2018, @05:02AM (#778038)

    Good to know. They should have crunched the numbers on comets first then, some of which already have such data (spoiler, the ratios are the same) and should have the same issues. Of course, easy to say in hindsight.