French scientists have determined more that 5,000 tons of extraterrestrial dust particles reach earth every year. It comes from asteroids or comets. This is the main source of extraterrestrial matter on our planet, far ahead of larger objects such as meteorites, for which the flux is less than ten tons per year.
Every year, our planet encounters dust from comets and asteroid. These interplanetary dust particles pass through our atmosphere and give rise to shooting stars. Some of them reach the ground in the form of micrometeorites.
An international program conducted for nearly 20 years by scientists from the CNRS, the Université Paris-Saclay and the National museum of natural history with the support of the French polar institute, has determined that 5,200 tons per year of these micrometeorites reach the ground.
The study will be available in the journal Earth & Planetary Science Letters from April 15.
Micrometeorites have always fallen on our planet. These interplanetary dust particles from comets or asteroids are particles of a few tenths to hundredths of a millimetre that have passed through the atmosphere and reached the Earth’s surface.
To collect and analyse these micrometeorites, six expeditions led by CNRS researcher Jean Duprat have taken place over the last two decades near the Franco-Italian Concordia station (Dome C), which is located 1,100 kilometres off the coast of Adélie Land, in the heart of Antarctica.
Dome C is an ideal collection spot due to the low accumulation rate of snow and the near absence of terrestrial dust.
These expeditions have collected enough extraterrestrial particles (ranging from 30 to 200 micrometres in size), to measure their annual flux, which corresponds to the mass accreted on Earth per square metre per year.
If these results are applied to the whole planet, the total annual flux of micrometeorites represents 5,200 tons per year. This is the main source of extraterrestrial matter on our planet, far ahead of larger objects such as meteorites, for which the flux is less than ten tons per year.
A comparison of the flux of micrometeorites with theoretical predictions confirms that most micrometeorites probably come from comets (80%) and the rest from asteroids.
This is valuable information to better understand the role played by these interplanetary dust particles in supplying water and carbonaceous molecules on the young Earth.
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Oh no, this is dangerous, we must lock everyone in their houses for the next million years.
Covid came in on one of thes particle. LOL
This is the real fake news, that is why it from the south pole where no independent researcher is allowed anywhere near that area. Nice Photoshop though.
The Andromeda Strain could settle out of the sky; maybe the flu got here the same way.
Don’t believe everything you read, particularly that coming from governments or “scientists”.
More Garbage.
More likely the “dust ” is from the back of Jet’s which are Geoengineering the weather, worldwide.
Pure trash, F’ing spacedust….!???