Comet dust found in Antarctica

A single particle of comet dust collected from Antarctic ice, as seen through an electron microscope. Image couresy of Takaaki Noguchi.

Researchers have discovered comet dust preserved in the ice and snow of Antarctica, the first time such particles have been found on Earth’s surface. The discovery unlocks a promising new source of this material. The oldest astronomical particles available for study, comet dust can offer clues about how our solar system formed. Until recently, the only way scientists could collect comet dust without going to space has been by flying research planes high in the stratosphere. Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) research professor John P. Bradley is a co-author of the paper published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

Read more about it in news.sciencemag.org and Tech Times.