Yes, comets played a crucial role in shaping Earth, particularly by delivering water and the building blocks of life. 🌎💧 A recent NASA-led study on Comet 12P/Pons–Brooks, nicknamed the “Devil Comet,” provides the strongest evidence yet for this theory.
Comets as Cosmic Delivery Trucks
Scientists believe that Earth formed as a hot, dry planet, unable to retain water on its own. The prevailing theory is that water arrived later through a bombardment of icy bodies, like comets and asteroids, during Earth’s early history.
The Devil Comet’s Revelation
The recent study on Comet 12P/Pons–Brooks offers compelling support for this idea. Researchers used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile and NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility to measure the chemical composition of the comet’s water vapor. They focused on the ratio of deuterium (a heavy isotope of hydrogen) to regular hydrogen. This ratio acts as a unique chemical fingerprint for water on different celestial bodies.
The results were groundbreaking: the water in Comet 12P/Pons–Brooks has a deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio that is virtually identical to that of Earth’s oceans. This is one of the closest matches ever recorded, providing a strong link between cometary and terrestrial water.
More Than Just Water
Beyond water, comets are also believed to have delivered the necessary organic compounds to early Earth. These compounds, such as amino acids, are the fundamental building blocks of life. The ice and dust within comets are remnants from the formation of our solar system, containing primitive materials that could have kick-started the chemical reactions that led to the first life forms.
While not all comets have a matching water signature, this new research on a Halley-type comet suggests that a specific class of these celestial wanderers may have been responsible for a significant portion of our planet’s water and, in turn, its habitability.

Comet 12 p/ pons brooks

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, approximately the size of Mount Everest, made its first close approach to Earth since 1954 during the total solar eclipse in April 2025. The comet follows a 71-year orbit around the Sun and belongs to a group of ancient Halley-type comets that contain primordial material from the solar system’s formation.

Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile and Nasa‘s Infrared Telescope Facility in Hawaii, researchers measured the deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio in the comet’s water vapor. This ratio serves as a chemical signature that distinguishes water found on different celestial bodies.

Scientists employed a breakthrough method to map both regular water and heavy water within the comet’s coma, enabling them to confirm the water’s origin from deep within the comet’s nucleus

By mapping both H₂O and HDO, we can tell if these gases are coming from the frozen ices within the solid body of the nucleus, rather than forming from chemistry or other processes in the gas coma,” said Nasa’s Stefanie Milam, who co-authored the study.

“This is the strongest evidence to date supporting the idea that comets could have helped make our planet habitable,” stated Nasa astrophysicist Martin Cordiner, who led the study.

The discovery addresses a long-standing mystery about Earth’s formation. Scientists believe Earth initially formed as a predominantly dry planet, with its high temperatures preventing water retention. The theory suggested that water arrived later through impacts from icy bodies like comets or asteroids during Earth’s early evolution.

The research indicates that these ancient comets may have not only delivered water but also potentially brought organic compounds that created conditions suitable for life on early Earth. The study of specific comet classes with matching deuterium-to-hydrogen ratios could provide further answers about Earth’s origins and the formation of our solar system.

Please like subscribe comment your precious comment on universe discoveries

Full article source google

https://www.amazon.in/b?_encoding=UTF8&tag=555101-21&link

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Satyam55

https://youtube.com/shorts/mzD-5q2iNog?si=dsqadex2JfeknBee

Meet the devil comet by clicking on the above link