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Astronomers at Harvard University in the United States believe that they are one step closer to discovering where the space object that hit the Earth 66 million years ago and caused the mass extinction of species, including dinosaurs, came from. , according to a study published this week in the journal Scientific reports of nature.
In decades Scientists have debated the origin of the asteroid that, at the impact of our planet, formed the crater Chicxulub, on the current territory of Yucatán (Mexico), a depression that has an extension of over 149 kilometers wide and 19 kilometers deep.
Through statistical analysis and gravitational simulations, researchers Amir Siraj and Avi Loeb proposed that the person responsible for the catastrophe could have been a comet, originally from the Oort cloud, which flew too close to the Sun.
These spheres of ice on the edge of the solar system can be deflected from their course by Jupiter’s gravitational field, they explain. “The solar system acts like a kind of pinball machine,” Siraj said.
When long-lived comets approach the Sun, the tidal forces of the star can break them to pieces of stone, increasing the likelihood that one of these fragments will hit Earth. Researchers say their work provides a “satisfactory explanation” that one of these objects could have caused the dinosaurs to disappear.
Specialists also mentioned that the evidence found in the Chicxulub crater suggests that the rock was composed of carbonic chondrite. One theory suggests that the celestial body came from the main belt, between the orbit of Jupiter and Mars, however, in these objects the presence of this type of chondrite is rare. But such material could be common in long-lived comets, supporting the recent hypothesis.
“We should see small fragments coming to Earth from the Oort cloud more often,” Loeb said, adding that he hopes more long-term comet data and better statistics will validate his theory.
The authors believe that understanding what actually happened is not only important in solving a mystery in Earth’s history, but could prove crucial if a similar event threatened the planet again.
(Taken from RT Español)