Discovery of molecular oxygen in comet tail forces rethink on how the solar system formed

Citation

Schroeder C (2015) Discovery of molecular oxygen in comet tail forces rethink on how the solar system formed. The Conversation. 28.10.2015.

Abstract
First paragraph: Scientists have for the first time detected molecular oxygen (O2) in a comet’s coma, the cloud of gas surrounding it when it moves close to the sun. The discovery, which challenges our understanding of how the solar system formed, was made by the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft orbiting comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko .

Keywords
Solar system; oxygen; Rosetta; Comet 67P

Notes
https://theconversation.com/discovery-of-molecular-oxygen-in-comet-tail-forces-rethink-on-how-the-solar-system-formed-49863

People

Dr Christian Schroeder

Senior Lecturer, Biological and Environmental Sciences