A lot of scientists are of the belief that the Earth was dry when it formed, with building blocks to life such as water, nitrogen and carbon only appearing later as other cosmic objects in the solar system collided with the planet.
However, in a study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, a scientific team led by researchers from UCLA is saying that there exists a white dwarf star called WD 1425+540 rich in hydrogen and oxygen (components of water) with an atmosphere high in nitrogen and carbon. It was discovered about 200 light-years away from Earth in the Boötes constellation.
According to Benjamin Zuckerman, one of the study authors, their discovery presents proof that a planetary system associated with the white dwarf star features life's building blocks. Additionally, if the planetary system the white dwarf belongs to shares similar traits with the solar system, then it is strongly possible that other planetary systems out there will also be home to the basic building blocks of life.
"The findings indicate that some of life's important preconditions are common in the universe," he said.
White Dwarfs And Life's Building Blocks
In the study, the researchers report of a minor planet within the planetary system orbiting WD 1425+540. However, the planet's trajectory was a bit altered, possibly affected by the gravitational pull of another planet in the same system. This put the minor planet in close proximity of the white dwarf, whose own gravitational field was so strong it ripped the planet apart into dust and gas. The minor planet's remnants orbited the white dwarf afterward, spiraling onto the star eventually to deposit life's building blocks.
Zuckerman and colleagues put these events as occurring relatively recently, maybe in the last 100,000 years or so. They also estimated that the minor planet destroyed by the white dwarf is made up of about 70 percent rocky material and 30 percent water and ice.
First Of Possibly Many
Given the results of their study, the researchers are suggesting that there may be many more objects in the Kuiper belt similar to the minor planet. The region beyond Neptune is vast, after all, with other minor planets present alongside comets in the outer reaches of the solar system. Astronomers have wondered before if other planetary bodies exist with properties like those of the objects in the Kuiper belt, and the study has shown for the first time that at least one of such objects exists.
And if the Earth obtained life's building blocks through collisions with other cosmic objects, then it is possible for rocky planets in other systems to also obtain water, nitrogen and carbon in the same way, said Siyi Xu, the study's lead author.
While the study offers a lot of insights into the presence of life's building blocks in the universe, it does not, however, settle the debate about whether or not there is commonality in life in the universe.
Additionally, no planet has been found yet that matches the conditions the Earth is enjoying, such as proper distance from a sun-like star and comparable mass and size.
