Science
Comets may have seeded Earth with life-supporting carbon – Engadget
A snapshot of a comet carrying carbon as it zipped past Earth in 2016 is helping NASA learn more about the origins of life.
NASA’s airborne telescope has made another major discovery just months after it confirmed the presence of water on the Moon’s sunlit surfaces. SOFIA’s latest find relates to the essence left by an icy comet that zipped past Earth in 2016 from its origins on the outskirts of our solar system. Using one of its infrared instruments, the telescope was able to detect carbon a key ingredient of life in the dusty glow of Comet Catalina’s tail.
The celestial visitor, which was briefly visible to stargazers…
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