Scientists Identify Two Types of 'Dark Comets' That Could Explain Earth's Origins

'Dark Comets' Come in Different Varieties, And It Could Have Implications For Life on Earth

So often when we think we understand something, another thing comes along that forces us to pause, reconsider, and broaden our minds to encompass these new and fascinating pieces of information. Take, for example, space rocks. We thought we had them all neatly categorized. Comets are chunks of rock filled with ices that sublimate when they warm, spewing long tails of gasses into space. Asteroids are less-icy chunks of rock and metal that j…

Enigmatic 'Dark Comets' Come in Two Distinct Types, Study Finds

They look like asteroids, but act like comets.

A New Type Of Dark Comet May Have Shaped The Early Earth

It’s only two years since known objects that look like asteroids and move like comets became numerous enough to get a name, and now we find there are two quite different categories.

NASA Finds Seven More Mysterious ‘Dark Comets’ — What To Know

A new category of space rock called “dark comets” are proving more common than previously thought, with 14 asteroid-comet objects now discovered.

Astronomers discover more dark comets

The first dark comet—a celestial object that looks like an asteroid but moves through space like a comet—was reported less than two years ago. Soon after, another six were found. In a new paper, researchers announce the discovery of seven more, doubling the number of known dark comets, and find that they fall into two distinct populations: larger ones that reside in the outer solar system and smaller ones in the inner solar system, with various …

Comets Brought Water To Earth Billions Of Years Ago, New Study Claims

The water on Earth has a unique molecular signature which has to do with specific rations of the hydrogen variant, or isotope, called deuterium.