First
Ever Evidence of a Comet Striking Earth
On
October 8th, 2013, a South African science team and international
collaborators discovered the first definite proof of a comet entering the earth’s
atmosphere. The comet is believed to have exploded as it entered the Earth’s
atmosphere, raining down a shock wave of fire that would have destroyed all
life forms in its path. Also, scientists suppose that the comet could help tell
us about the formation of our solar system. Professor David Block from Wits
University says, "Comets always visit
our skies -- they're these dirty snowballs of ice mixed with dust -- but never
before in history has material from a comet ever been found on Earth…" The
comet is estimated to have entered the Earth’s atmosphere about 28 million
years ago above Egypt. When it exploded, it heated the sand of the desert to be
2,000 degrees Celsius. Yellow silica glass now lies across 6,000 square
kilometers of the Sahara desert. This discovery can possibly lead to scientists
coming across more particles from comets that may have also entered the earth’s
atmosphere.
A few years ago, an Egyptian geologist discovered a mystifying black
pebble. After many intense and complex analyses of the pebble, scientists
discovered the very first known hand specimen of a comet nucleus. At first,
many people thought it was just an unusual type of meteorite rather than a
comet. When it was confirmed as a comet, it was named after Hypatia of
Alexandria. She was the first well-respected female astronomer, mathematician
and philosopher. The impact of the explosion actually created microscopic
diamonds from the immense pressure the comet carried with its explosion. In the
past, space agencies have spent billions to obtain dust particles from comets.
Dr. Mario di Martino of Turin’s Astrophysical Observatory has led numerous
outings to the desert glass area to study the remains of the comet. Block
claims, "Comets contain the very secrets to unlocking the formation of our
solar system and this discovery gives us an unprecedented opportunity to study
comet material first hand…"
I really enjoyed reading this article because it was concrete and the
evidence was clear with strong facts to support it. The writing was not too
technical so it was easy to follow as someone who is not an expert in the field
of astronomy. The article left me in deep thought about how the earth entered
the comet’s path and what the probability of an event as drastic as this to
happen again on Earth. I am also curious whether there have ever been any other
comets that have exploded in the Earth’s atmosphere and when that would have
occurred. I think the article could have gone more in depth on how the
scientists were able to identify and prove the pieces to be those of a comet
and not a meteorite. Ultimately, this article was insightful and fascinating;
leaving the reader with much curiosity about our early solar system and what
discoveries of it’s past are to come.
Wits University. "First ever evidence of a comet striking Earth." ScienceDaily, 8 Oct. 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131008091543.htm
This article and review are great! I really liked how you talked about how rare it is for a discovery of comet material to occur, on Earth. Also, i liked how you incorporated various quotes from professors who have been studying about the solar system for a good amount of time ( I highly assume). These valuable quotes including, "Comets always visit our skies... but never before in history has material from a comet ever been found on Earth", bring interest to the reader. Another aspect that you presented well was about how complex and hard it was for earth scientists to confirm that this valid discovery really did occur. I was interested highly in the strong value of comets. They can help us find information about the early formation of the solar system, which is one reason why space agencies used to spend billions of dollars to maintain as much comet matter as they could. Also, something interesting that i did not realize is that the force of the comet when it hit Earth was so strong, in which it would destroy anything in its path. Overall, I felt like you did a really solid job on this review. Your ideas and facts were well organized. If anything, I think that you could add a little length to your summary part of your review. Other than that, I believe you did a really nice job!
ReplyDeleteI found your article particularly interesting because it was connected to a topic we had already studied, making it even easier for me to follow although it was sufficiently clear. I liked how you told the story of the current event first, and then proceeded to explain past evidence for this happening such as the Hypatia of Alexandria, which crashed landed over Egypt. Also, the way you conveyed your interests in the event and the points you made in your critique paragraph were helpful to me because they stood as a comparative tool for my thoughts on the subject. Finally, I found it very professional that you included professional opinions on the topic, but not enough to cause you to lose your own voice. In addition, I was very impressed by some of the facts you brought up in your paper. Before reading it, I had no idea that a comet had ever landed in Egypt because it is widely believe one landed in what is the now the Gulf of Mexico. Also, I was impressed by the sheer facts that these scientists were able to determine the details of an event that occurred 28 million years ago. As a whole, I thought you really did not need to work on this paper much. The summary is clear and concise, the relevance piece was interesting and gripping, and your critique was accurate and fair.
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