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Diatoms in cometsThe fossil record of the microscopic algae classified as diatoms suggests they were injected to earth at the Cretaceous boundary. Not only could diatoms remain viable in the cometary environment, but also many species might replicate in illuminated surface layers or early interior layers of cometary ice. Presumably they reached the solar system on an interstellar comet as an already-evolved assemblage of organisms. Diatoms might cause color changes to comet nuclei while their outgassing decays and revives around highly elliptical orbits. Just as for interstellar absorption, high-resolution IR observations are capable of distinguishing whether the 10-micron feature arises from siliceous diatom material or mineral silicates. The 10-30-micron band and the UV 220-nm region can also provide evidence of biological material.
Document ID
19870024665
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Hoover, R.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Hoyle, F.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Wallis, M. K.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Wickramasinghe, N. C.
(University College Cardiff, United Kingdom)
Date Acquired
August 13, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1986
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Accession Number
87A11939
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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