How Scientists Know a Meteorite Came From Mars Without Ever Leaving Earth.
Content Idea/Topic: "Cosmic Detectives: How Scientists Can Tell a Meteorite Came From Mars (or another specific celestial body)."
Why it's a good idea/potential for virality: This post tackles the classic "How do they know that?" question that many people have when they come across science news. The idea that a rock found on Earth actually came from Mars—or any other celestial body—can seem almost unbelievable or like a magical claim. An explainer that breaks down the complex scientific methods, such as analyzing trapped atmospheric gases within the meteorite and comparing them to known Martian atmospheric composition from probes, isotopic fingerprinting unique to different celestial bodies, and mineralogical composition matching, into simple, digestible analogies would be highly engaging. It has strong "aha!" moment potential and satisfies a common curiosity. People are often fascinated by definitive scientific statements about distant objects and want to peek behind the curtain.
Target Audience:
- Curious Learners: Those who enjoy understanding the "how" behind scientific discoveries.
- Space Enthusiasts: Folks who follow space news but might not know the detailed methodologies.
- Skeptical Minds: People who read scientific claims and genuinely wonder about the basis for such certainty.
- Students: Looking for accessible explanations of complex scientific processes.
- General Public: Anyone who encounters such news headlines and feels a sense of wonder or bewilderment.
Origin Reddit Post
r/askscience
"this asteroid came from mars". How do they know that?
Posted by u/mrphysh•06/10/2025
The news says " an asteroid from Jupiter was found ..... " or "an asteroid from Mars has organic compounds...." How could they tell the origin of a rock?
Top Comments
u/Fitz911
Haha. Thanks for that information!
u/FantasticFunKarma
Thank you. Follow-up question. What is the mechanism by which mars rocks, get ejected out of mars’ gravity well into space. Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long a
u/Arkrobo
Adding to this the odds that it came from a near identical planet from elsewhere in the vast expanse of the universe is pretty slim I would think.
u/TheOneTrueTrench
> it looks pretty white, must be from the moon
Interestingly, lunar regolith is actually pretty dark in coloration, the reason the moon looks so white is that it reflects light pretty eve
u/FantasticFunKarma
Thank you. Follow-up question. What is the mechanism by which mars rocks, get ejected out of mars’ gravity well into space. Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long a
u/Arkrobo
Adding to this the odds that it came from a near identical planet from elsewhere in the vast expanse of the universe is pretty slim I would think.
u/macrolidesrule
Just out of curiosity - do these gas bubbles - d owe have enough of them, over a long enough time period to see how the Martian atmosphere composition evolved over deep time?
u/Mitologist
Jup, I read lunar regolith under the lighting conditions of Earth's surface, had a similar brightness to old tarmac. The Sun is insane if you think about it. We'd be scorched brisket without
u/CrustalTrudger
Let's use Mars as an example (pretty sure there are no meteorites ever argued to be from Jupiter...). We have a variety of information about the chemical and isotopic composition of Mars, bot
u/CrustalTrudger
Let's use Mars as an example (pretty sure there are no meteorites ever argued to be from Jupiter...). We have a variety of information about the chemical and isotopic composition of Mars, bot
u/Fitz911
"This person we found has a matching name, date of birth, fingerprint, look, and social security number. So we assume it's the same guy as yesterday."
Makes sense.
OP listed a lot of indica
u/PM_ME_PHYS_PROBLEMS
We're talking about mostly spectroscopic data, which is in a sense just comparing the colors of the rocks at very very high precision.
Pretty white is just a combination of 1 part 400nm, 2 p
u/PM_ME_PHYS_PROBLEMS
Hey I said pretty white.
You can get white light with 3 discrete frequencies, RGB.
u/Mitologist
Jup, I read lunar regolith under the lighting conditions of Earth's surface, had a similar brightness to old tarmac. The Sun is insane if you think about it. We'd be scorched brisket without
u/Arkrobo
Adding to this the odds that it came from a near identical planet from elsewhere in the vast expanse of the universe is pretty slim I would think.
u/rvgoingtohavefun
So basically "this small rock we found is very similar to that big rock cruising around the sun, so we're going to assume it came from that big rock."
Makes sense.
u/rvgoingtohavefun
So basically "this small rock we found is very similar to that big rock cruising around the sun, so we're going to assume it came from that big rock."
Makes sense.
u/Mitologist
Jup, I read lunar regolith under the lighting conditions of Earth's surface, had a similar brightness to old tarmac. The Sun is insane if you think about it. We'd be scorched brisket without
u/CrustalTrudger
Let's use Mars as an example (pretty sure there are no meteorites ever argued to be from Jupiter...). We have a variety of information about the chemical and isotopic composition of Mars, bot
u/FantasticFunKarma
Thank you. Follow-up question. What is the mechanism by which mars rocks, get ejected out of mars’ gravity well into space. Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long a
u/Fitz911
"This person we found has a matching name, date of birth, fingerprint, look, and social security number. So we assume it's the same guy as yesterday."
Makes sense.
OP listed a lot of indica
u/Mitologist
Jup, I read lunar regolith under the lighting conditions of Earth's surface, had a similar brightness to old tarmac. The Sun is insane if you think about it. We'd be scorched brisket without
u/macrolidesrule
Just out of curiosity - do these gas bubbles - d owe have enough of them, over a long enough time period to see how the Martian atmosphere composition evolved over deep time?
u/CrustalTrudger
Let's use Mars as an example (pretty sure there are no meteorites ever argued to be from Jupiter...). We have a variety of information about the chemical and isotopic composition of Mars, bot
u/CrustalTrudger
Let's use Mars as an example (pretty sure there are no meteorites ever argued to be from Jupiter...). We have a variety of information about the chemical and isotopic composition of Mars, bot
u/TheOneTrueTrench
> it looks pretty white, must be from the moon
Interestingly, lunar regolith is actually pretty dark in coloration, the reason the moon looks so white is that it reflects light pretty eve
u/Mitologist
Jup, I read lunar regolith under the lighting conditions of Earth's surface, had a similar brightness to old tarmac. The Sun is insane if you think about it. We'd be scorched brisket without
u/Mitologist
Jup, I read lunar regolith under the lighting conditions of Earth's surface, had a similar brightness to old tarmac. The Sun is insane if you think about it. We'd be scorched brisket without
u/CrustalTrudger
Let's use Mars as an example (pretty sure there are no meteorites ever argued to be from Jupiter...). We have a variety of information about the chemical and isotopic composition of Mars, bot
u/TheOneTrueTrench
> it looks pretty white, must be from the moon
Interestingly, lunar regolith is actually pretty dark in coloration, the reason the moon looks so white is that it reflects light pretty eve
u/Mitologist
Jup, I read lunar regolith under the lighting conditions of Earth's surface, had a similar brightness to old tarmac. The Sun is insane if you think about it. We'd be scorched brisket without
u/pigeon768
> Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yup.
Note that "long ago" might be more recent than you expect. The upper end on how long they left Mars
u/rvgoingtohavefun
So basically "this small rock we found is very similar to that big rock cruising around the sun, so we're going to assume it came from that big rock."
Makes sense.
u/Mitologist
Jup, I read lunar regolith under the lighting conditions of Earth's surface, had a similar brightness to old tarmac. The Sun is insane if you think about it. We'd be scorched brisket without
u/TheOneTrueTrench
> it looks pretty white, must be from the moon
Interestingly, lunar regolith is actually pretty dark in coloration, the reason the moon looks so white is that it reflects light pretty eve
u/macrolidesrule
Just out of curiosity - do these gas bubbles - d owe have enough of them, over a long enough time period to see how the Martian atmosphere composition evolved over deep time?
u/FantasticFunKarma
Thank you. Follow-up question. What is the mechanism by which mars rocks, get ejected out of mars’ gravity well into space. Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long a
u/FantasticFunKarma
Thank you. Follow-up question. What is the mechanism by which mars rocks, get ejected out of mars’ gravity well into space. Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long a
u/pigeon768
> Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yup.
Note that "long ago" might be more recent than you expect. The upper end on how long they left Mars
u/Fitz911
"This person we found has a matching name, date of birth, fingerprint, look, and social security number. So we assume it's the same guy as yesterday."
Makes sense.
OP listed a lot of indica
u/macrolidesrule
Just out of curiosity - do these gas bubbles - d owe have enough of them, over a long enough time period to see how the Martian atmosphere composition evolved over deep time?
u/FantasticFunKarma
Thank you. Follow-up question. What is the mechanism by which mars rocks, get ejected out of mars’ gravity well into space. Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long a
u/Arkrobo
Adding to this the odds that it came from a near identical planet from elsewhere in the vast expanse of the universe is pretty slim I would think.
u/rvgoingtohavefun
So basically "this small rock we found is very similar to that big rock cruising around the sun, so we're going to assume it came from that big rock."
Makes sense.
u/CrustalTrudger
Let's use Mars as an example (pretty sure there are no meteorites ever argued to be from Jupiter...). We have a variety of information about the chemical and isotopic composition of Mars, bot
u/macrolidesrule
Just out of curiosity - do these gas bubbles - d owe have enough of them, over a long enough time period to see how the Martian atmosphere composition evolved over deep time?
u/Mitologist
Jup, I read lunar regolith under the lighting conditions of Earth's surface, had a similar brightness to old tarmac. The Sun is insane if you think about it. We'd be scorched brisket without
u/rvgoingtohavefun
So basically "this small rock we found is very similar to that big rock cruising around the sun, so we're going to assume it came from that big rock."
Makes sense.
u/pigeon768
> Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yup.
Note that "long ago" might be more recent than you expect. The upper end on how long they left Mars
u/TheOneTrueTrench
> it looks pretty white, must be from the moon
Interestingly, lunar regolith is actually pretty dark in coloration, the reason the moon looks so white is that it reflects light pretty eve
u/FantasticFunKarma
Thank you. Follow-up question. What is the mechanism by which mars rocks, get ejected out of mars’ gravity well into space. Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long a
u/CrustalTrudger
>Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yes on the impact part, which has been demonstrated to be a viable mechanism for generating these types of
u/Fitz911
"This person we found has a matching name, date of birth, fingerprint, look, and social security number. So we assume it's the same guy as yesterday."
Makes sense.
OP listed a lot of indica
u/Fitz911
Haha. Thanks for that information!
u/pigeon768
> Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yup.
Note that "long ago" might be more recent than you expect. The upper end on how long they left Mars
u/Fitz911
Haha. Thanks for that information!
u/CrustalTrudger
Let's use Mars as an example (pretty sure there are no meteorites ever argued to be from Jupiter...). We have a variety of information about the chemical and isotopic composition of Mars, bot
u/Fitz911
Haha. Thanks for that information!
u/FantasticFunKarma
Thank you. Follow-up question. What is the mechanism by which mars rocks, get ejected out of mars’ gravity well into space. Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long a
u/e_j_white
Just look at this GIF of the earth and moon in [the same photo](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/dscovrepicmoontransitfull.gif?w=1920), the moon appears much darker than one wo
u/FantasticFunKarma
Thank you. Follow-up question. What is the mechanism by which mars rocks, get ejected out of mars’ gravity well into space. Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long a
u/Mitologist
Jup, I read lunar regolith under the lighting conditions of Earth's surface, had a similar brightness to old tarmac. The Sun is insane if you think about it. We'd be scorched brisket without
u/Arkrobo
Adding to this the odds that it came from a near identical planet from elsewhere in the vast expanse of the universe is pretty slim I would think.
u/rvgoingtohavefun
So basically "this small rock we found is very similar to that big rock cruising around the sun, so we're going to assume it came from that big rock."
Makes sense.
u/CrustalTrudger
Let's use Mars as an example (pretty sure there are no meteorites ever argued to be from Jupiter...). We have a variety of information about the chemical and isotopic composition of Mars, bot
u/macrolidesrule
Just out of curiosity - do these gas bubbles - d owe have enough of them, over a long enough time period to see how the Martian atmosphere composition evolved over deep time?
u/e_j_white
Just look at this GIF of the earth and moon in [the same photo](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/dscovrepicmoontransitfull.gif?w=1920), the moon appears much darker than one wo
u/FantasticFunKarma
Thank you. Follow-up question. What is the mechanism by which mars rocks, get ejected out of mars’ gravity well into space. Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long a
u/macrolidesrule
Just out of curiosity - do these gas bubbles - d owe have enough of them, over a long enough time period to see how the Martian atmosphere composition evolved over deep time?
u/CrustalTrudger
>Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yes on the impact part, which has been demonstrated to be a viable mechanism for generating these types of
u/macrolidesrule
Just out of curiosity - do these gas bubbles - d owe have enough of them, over a long enough time period to see how the Martian atmosphere composition evolved over deep time?
u/rvgoingtohavefun
So basically "this small rock we found is very similar to that big rock cruising around the sun, so we're going to assume it came from that big rock."
Makes sense.
u/TheOneTrueTrench
> it looks pretty white, must be from the moon
Interestingly, lunar regolith is actually pretty dark in coloration, the reason the moon looks so white is that it reflects light pretty eve
u/CrustalTrudger
Let's use Mars as an example (pretty sure there are no meteorites ever argued to be from Jupiter...). We have a variety of information about the chemical and isotopic composition of Mars, bot
u/macrolidesrule
Just out of curiosity - do these gas bubbles - d owe have enough of them, over a long enough time period to see how the Martian atmosphere composition evolved over deep time?
u/rvgoingtohavefun
So basically "this small rock we found is very similar to that big rock cruising around the sun, so we're going to assume it came from that big rock."
Makes sense.
u/Fitz911
Haha. Thanks for that information!
u/Mitologist
Jup, I read lunar regolith under the lighting conditions of Earth's surface, had a similar brightness to old tarmac. The Sun is insane if you think about it. We'd be scorched brisket without
u/Mitologist
Jup, I read lunar regolith under the lighting conditions of Earth's surface, had a similar brightness to old tarmac. The Sun is insane if you think about it. We'd be scorched brisket without
u/Fitz911
Haha. Thanks for that information!
u/Fitz911
Haha. Thanks for that information!
u/TheOneTrueTrench
> it looks pretty white, must be from the moon
Interestingly, lunar regolith is actually pretty dark in coloration, the reason the moon looks so white is that it reflects light pretty eve
u/TheOneTrueTrench
> it looks pretty white, must be from the moon
Interestingly, lunar regolith is actually pretty dark in coloration, the reason the moon looks so white is that it reflects light pretty eve
u/rvgoingtohavefun
So basically "this small rock we found is very similar to that big rock cruising around the sun, so we're going to assume it came from that big rock."
Makes sense.
u/pigeon768
> Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yup.
Note that "long ago" might be more recent than you expect. The upper end on how long they left Mars
u/e_j_white
Just look at this GIF of the earth and moon in [the same photo](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/dscovrepicmoontransitfull.gif?w=1920), the moon appears much darker than one wo
u/CrustalTrudger
>Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yes on the impact part, which has been demonstrated to be a viable mechanism for generating these types of
u/rvgoingtohavefun
So basically "this small rock we found is very similar to that big rock cruising around the sun, so we're going to assume it came from that big rock."
Makes sense.
u/Arkrobo
Adding to this the odds that it came from a near identical planet from elsewhere in the vast expanse of the universe is pretty slim I would think.
u/macrolidesrule
Just out of curiosity - do these gas bubbles - d owe have enough of them, over a long enough time period to see how the Martian atmosphere composition evolved over deep time?
u/CrustalTrudger
>Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yes on the impact part, which has been demonstrated to be a viable mechanism for generating these types of
u/pigeon768
> Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yup.
Note that "long ago" might be more recent than you expect. The upper end on how long they left Mars
u/pigeon768
> Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yup.
Note that "long ago" might be more recent than you expect. The upper end on how long they left Mars
u/TheOneTrueTrench
> it looks pretty white, must be from the moon
Interestingly, lunar regolith is actually pretty dark in coloration, the reason the moon looks so white is that it reflects light pretty eve
u/Arkrobo
Adding to this the odds that it came from a near identical planet from elsewhere in the vast expanse of the universe is pretty slim I would think.
u/macrolidesrule
Just out of curiosity - do these gas bubbles - d owe have enough of them, over a long enough time period to see how the Martian atmosphere composition evolved over deep time?
u/Fitz911
"This person we found has a matching name, date of birth, fingerprint, look, and social security number. So we assume it's the same guy as yesterday."
Makes sense.
OP listed a lot of indica
u/TheOneTrueTrench
> it looks pretty white, must be from the moon
Interestingly, lunar regolith is actually pretty dark in coloration, the reason the moon looks so white is that it reflects light pretty eve
u/Fitz911
"This person we found has a matching name, date of birth, fingerprint, look, and social security number. So we assume it's the same guy as yesterday."
Makes sense.
OP listed a lot of indica
u/e_j_white
Just look at this GIF of the earth and moon in [the same photo](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/dscovrepicmoontransitfull.gif?w=1920), the moon appears much darker than one wo
u/Arkrobo
Adding to this the odds that it came from a near identical planet from elsewhere in the vast expanse of the universe is pretty slim I would think.
u/CrustalTrudger
Let's use Mars as an example (pretty sure there are no meteorites ever argued to be from Jupiter...). We have a variety of information about the chemical and isotopic composition of Mars, bot
u/TheOneTrueTrench
> it looks pretty white, must be from the moon
Interestingly, lunar regolith is actually pretty dark in coloration, the reason the moon looks so white is that it reflects light pretty eve
u/TheOneTrueTrench
> it looks pretty white, must be from the moon
Interestingly, lunar regolith is actually pretty dark in coloration, the reason the moon looks so white is that it reflects light pretty eve
u/pigeon768
> Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yup.
Note that "long ago" might be more recent than you expect. The upper end on how long they left Mars
u/Arkrobo
Adding to this the odds that it came from a near identical planet from elsewhere in the vast expanse of the universe is pretty slim I would think.
u/CrustalTrudger
>Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yes on the impact part, which has been demonstrated to be a viable mechanism for generating these types of
u/pigeon768
> Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yup.
Note that "long ago" might be more recent than you expect. The upper end on how long they left Mars
u/CrustalTrudger
Let's use Mars as an example (pretty sure there are no meteorites ever argued to be from Jupiter...). We have a variety of information about the chemical and isotopic composition of Mars, bot
u/e_j_white
Just look at this GIF of the earth and moon in [the same photo](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/dscovrepicmoontransitfull.gif?w=1920), the moon appears much darker than one wo
u/e_j_white
Just look at this GIF of the earth and moon in [the same photo](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/dscovrepicmoontransitfull.gif?w=1920), the moon appears much darker than one wo
u/CrustalTrudger
>Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yes on the impact part, which has been demonstrated to be a viable mechanism for generating these types of
u/pigeon768
> Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yup.
Note that "long ago" might be more recent than you expect. The upper end on how long they left Mars
u/Fitz911
"This person we found has a matching name, date of birth, fingerprint, look, and social security number. So we assume it's the same guy as yesterday."
Makes sense.
OP listed a lot of indica
u/FantasticFunKarma
Thank you. Follow-up question. What is the mechanism by which mars rocks, get ejected out of mars’ gravity well into space. Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long a
u/Mitologist
Jup, I read lunar regolith under the lighting conditions of Earth's surface, had a similar brightness to old tarmac. The Sun is insane if you think about it. We'd be scorched brisket without
u/e_j_white
Just look at this GIF of the earth and moon in [the same photo](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/dscovrepicmoontransitfull.gif?w=1920), the moon appears much darker than one wo
u/Fitz911
Haha. Thanks for that information!
u/macrolidesrule
Just out of curiosity - do these gas bubbles - d owe have enough of them, over a long enough time period to see how the Martian atmosphere composition evolved over deep time?
u/CrustalTrudger
Let's use Mars as an example (pretty sure there are no meteorites ever argued to be from Jupiter...). We have a variety of information about the chemical and isotopic composition of Mars, bot
u/CrustalTrudger
Let's use Mars as an example (pretty sure there are no meteorites ever argued to be from Jupiter...). We have a variety of information about the chemical and isotopic composition of Mars, bot
u/pigeon768
> Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yup.
Note that "long ago" might be more recent than you expect. The upper end on how long they left Mars
u/rvgoingtohavefun
So basically "this small rock we found is very similar to that big rock cruising around the sun, so we're going to assume it came from that big rock."
Makes sense.
u/Arkrobo
Adding to this the odds that it came from a near identical planet from elsewhere in the vast expanse of the universe is pretty slim I would think.
u/yeebok
White light is only 5 discrete frequencies ? That's a hot take.
u/macrolidesrule
Just out of curiosity - do these gas bubbles - d owe have enough of them, over a long enough time period to see how the Martian atmosphere composition evolved over deep time?
u/FantasticFunKarma
Thank you. Follow-up question. What is the mechanism by which mars rocks, get ejected out of mars’ gravity well into space. Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long a
u/FantasticFunKarma
Thank you. Follow-up question. What is the mechanism by which mars rocks, get ejected out of mars’ gravity well into space. Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long a
u/Fitz911
"This person we found has a matching name, date of birth, fingerprint, look, and social security number. So we assume it's the same guy as yesterday."
Makes sense.
OP listed a lot of indica
u/Arkrobo
Adding to this the odds that it came from a near identical planet from elsewhere in the vast expanse of the universe is pretty slim I would think.
u/macrolidesrule
Just out of curiosity - do these gas bubbles - d owe have enough of them, over a long enough time period to see how the Martian atmosphere composition evolved over deep time?
u/FantasticFunKarma
Thank you. Follow-up question. What is the mechanism by which mars rocks, get ejected out of mars’ gravity well into space. Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long a
u/e_j_white
Just look at this GIF of the earth and moon in [the same photo](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/dscovrepicmoontransitfull.gif?w=1920), the moon appears much darker than one wo
u/Mitologist
Jup, I read lunar regolith under the lighting conditions of Earth's surface, had a similar brightness to old tarmac. The Sun is insane if you think about it. We'd be scorched brisket without
u/FantasticFunKarma
Thank you. Follow-up question. What is the mechanism by which mars rocks, get ejected out of mars’ gravity well into space. Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long a
u/Fitz911
"This person we found has a matching name, date of birth, fingerprint, look, and social security number. So we assume it's the same guy as yesterday."
Makes sense.
OP listed a lot of indica
u/Arkrobo
Adding to this the odds that it came from a near identical planet from elsewhere in the vast expanse of the universe is pretty slim I would think.
u/e_j_white
Just look at this GIF of the earth and moon in [the same photo](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/dscovrepicmoontransitfull.gif?w=1920), the moon appears much darker than one wo
u/CrustalTrudger
>Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yes on the impact part, which has been demonstrated to be a viable mechanism for generating these types of
u/CrustalTrudger
Let's use Mars as an example (pretty sure there are no meteorites ever argued to be from Jupiter...). We have a variety of information about the chemical and isotopic composition of Mars, bot
u/pigeon768
> Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yup.
Note that "long ago" might be more recent than you expect. The upper end on how long they left Mars
u/CrustalTrudger
Let's use Mars as an example (pretty sure there are no meteorites ever argued to be from Jupiter...). We have a variety of information about the chemical and isotopic composition of Mars, bot
u/FantasticFunKarma
Thank you. Follow-up question. What is the mechanism by which mars rocks, get ejected out of mars’ gravity well into space. Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long a
u/CrustalTrudger
Let's use Mars as an example (pretty sure there are no meteorites ever argued to be from Jupiter...). We have a variety of information about the chemical and isotopic composition of Mars, bot
u/CrustalTrudger
Let's use Mars as an example (pretty sure there are no meteorites ever argued to be from Jupiter...). We have a variety of information about the chemical and isotopic composition of Mars, bot
u/e_j_white
Just look at this GIF of the earth and moon in [the same photo](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/dscovrepicmoontransitfull.gif?w=1920), the moon appears much darker than one wo
u/rvgoingtohavefun
So basically "this small rock we found is very similar to that big rock cruising around the sun, so we're going to assume it came from that big rock."
Makes sense.
u/pigeon768
> Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yup.
Note that "long ago" might be more recent than you expect. The upper end on how long they left Mars
u/macrolidesrule
Just out of curiosity - do these gas bubbles - d owe have enough of them, over a long enough time period to see how the Martian atmosphere composition evolved over deep time?
u/rvgoingtohavefun
So basically "this small rock we found is very similar to that big rock cruising around the sun, so we're going to assume it came from that big rock."
Makes sense.
u/e_j_white
Just look at this GIF of the earth and moon in [the same photo](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/dscovrepicmoontransitfull.gif?w=1920), the moon appears much darker than one wo
u/pigeon768
> Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yup.
Note that "long ago" might be more recent than you expect. The upper end on how long they left Mars
u/CrustalTrudger
>Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yes on the impact part, which has been demonstrated to be a viable mechanism for generating these types of
u/CrustalTrudger
>Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yes on the impact part, which has been demonstrated to be a viable mechanism for generating these types of
u/CrustalTrudger
>Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yes on the impact part, which has been demonstrated to be a viable mechanism for generating these types of
u/Fitz911
Haha. Thanks for that information!
u/Fitz911
Haha. Thanks for that information!
u/e_j_white
Just look at this GIF of the earth and moon in [the same photo](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/dscovrepicmoontransitfull.gif?w=1920), the moon appears much darker than one wo
u/TheOneTrueTrench
> it looks pretty white, must be from the moon
Interestingly, lunar regolith is actually pretty dark in coloration, the reason the moon looks so white is that it reflects light pretty eve
u/Fitz911
Haha. Thanks for that information!
u/CrustalTrudger
>Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yes on the impact part, which has been demonstrated to be a viable mechanism for generating these types of
u/Fitz911
Haha. Thanks for that information!
u/CrustalTrudger
>Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yes on the impact part, which has been demonstrated to be a viable mechanism for generating these types of
u/Arkrobo
Adding to this the odds that it came from a near identical planet from elsewhere in the vast expanse of the universe is pretty slim I would think.
u/Fitz911
Haha. Thanks for that information!
u/Mitologist
Jup, I read lunar regolith under the lighting conditions of Earth's surface, had a similar brightness to old tarmac. The Sun is insane if you think about it. We'd be scorched brisket without
u/yeebok
White light is only 5 discrete frequencies ? That's a hot take.
u/CrustalTrudger
>Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yes on the impact part, which has been demonstrated to be a viable mechanism for generating these types of
u/e_j_white
Just look at this GIF of the earth and moon in [the same photo](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/dscovrepicmoontransitfull.gif?w=1920), the moon appears much darker than one wo
u/FantasticFunKarma
Thank you. Follow-up question. What is the mechanism by which mars rocks, get ejected out of mars’ gravity well into space. Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long a
u/Fitz911
"This person we found has a matching name, date of birth, fingerprint, look, and social security number. So we assume it's the same guy as yesterday."
Makes sense.
OP listed a lot of indica
u/Arkrobo
Adding to this the odds that it came from a near identical planet from elsewhere in the vast expanse of the universe is pretty slim I would think.
u/TheOneTrueTrench
> it looks pretty white, must be from the moon
Interestingly, lunar regolith is actually pretty dark in coloration, the reason the moon looks so white is that it reflects light pretty eve
u/Fitz911
Haha. Thanks for that information!
u/pigeon768
> Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yup.
Note that "long ago" might be more recent than you expect. The upper end on how long they left Mars
u/pigeon768
> Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yup.
Note that "long ago" might be more recent than you expect. The upper end on how long they left Mars
u/e_j_white
Just look at this GIF of the earth and moon in [the same photo](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/dscovrepicmoontransitfull.gif?w=1920), the moon appears much darker than one wo
u/Fitz911
Haha. Thanks for that information!
u/Arkrobo
Adding to this the odds that it came from a near identical planet from elsewhere in the vast expanse of the universe is pretty slim I would think.
u/PM_ME_PHYS_PROBLEMS
We're talking about mostly spectroscopic data, which is in a sense just comparing the colors of the rocks at very very high precision.
Pretty white is just a combination of 1 part 400nm, 2 p
u/Arkrobo
Adding to this the odds that it came from a near identical planet from elsewhere in the vast expanse of the universe is pretty slim I would think.
u/CrustalTrudger
Let's use Mars as an example (pretty sure there are no meteorites ever argued to be from Jupiter...). We have a variety of information about the chemical and isotopic composition of Mars, bot
u/Fitz911
"This person we found has a matching name, date of birth, fingerprint, look, and social security number. So we assume it's the same guy as yesterday."
Makes sense.
OP listed a lot of indica
u/Fitz911
"This person we found has a matching name, date of birth, fingerprint, look, and social security number. So we assume it's the same guy as yesterday."
Makes sense.
OP listed a lot of indica
u/Fitz911
Haha. Thanks for that information!
u/Fitz911
Haha. Thanks for that information!
u/Fitz911
"This person we found has a matching name, date of birth, fingerprint, look, and social security number. So we assume it's the same guy as yesterday."
Makes sense.
OP listed a lot of indica
u/e_j_white
Just look at this GIF of the earth and moon in [the same photo](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/dscovrepicmoontransitfull.gif?w=1920), the moon appears much darker than one wo
u/macrolidesrule
Just out of curiosity - do these gas bubbles - d owe have enough of them, over a long enough time period to see how the Martian atmosphere composition evolved over deep time?
u/rvgoingtohavefun
So basically "this small rock we found is very similar to that big rock cruising around the sun, so we're going to assume it came from that big rock."
Makes sense.
u/rvgoingtohavefun
So basically "this small rock we found is very similar to that big rock cruising around the sun, so we're going to assume it came from that big rock."
Makes sense.
u/FantasticFunKarma
Thank you. Follow-up question. What is the mechanism by which mars rocks, get ejected out of mars’ gravity well into space. Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long a
u/rvgoingtohavefun
So basically "this small rock we found is very similar to that big rock cruising around the sun, so we're going to assume it came from that big rock."
Makes sense.
u/Fitz911
"This person we found has a matching name, date of birth, fingerprint, look, and social security number. So we assume it's the same guy as yesterday."
Makes sense.
OP listed a lot of indica
u/Mitologist
Jup, I read lunar regolith under the lighting conditions of Earth's surface, had a similar brightness to old tarmac. The Sun is insane if you think about it. We'd be scorched brisket without
u/e_j_white
Just look at this GIF of the earth and moon in [the same photo](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/dscovrepicmoontransitfull.gif?w=1920), the moon appears much darker than one wo
u/Mitologist
Jup, I read lunar regolith under the lighting conditions of Earth's surface, had a similar brightness to old tarmac. The Sun is insane if you think about it. We'd be scorched brisket without
u/Fitz911
"This person we found has a matching name, date of birth, fingerprint, look, and social security number. So we assume it's the same guy as yesterday."
Makes sense.
OP listed a lot of indica
u/pigeon768
> Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yup.
Note that "long ago" might be more recent than you expect. The upper end on how long they left Mars
u/Fitz911
"This person we found has a matching name, date of birth, fingerprint, look, and social security number. So we assume it's the same guy as yesterday."
Makes sense.
OP listed a lot of indica
u/TheOneTrueTrench
> it looks pretty white, must be from the moon
Interestingly, lunar regolith is actually pretty dark in coloration, the reason the moon looks so white is that it reflects light pretty eve
u/e_j_white
Just look at this GIF of the earth and moon in [the same photo](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/dscovrepicmoontransitfull.gif?w=1920), the moon appears much darker than one wo
u/Mitologist
Jup, I read lunar regolith under the lighting conditions of Earth's surface, had a similar brightness to old tarmac. The Sun is insane if you think about it. We'd be scorched brisket without
u/Arkrobo
Adding to this the odds that it came from a near identical planet from elsewhere in the vast expanse of the universe is pretty slim I would think.
u/TheOneTrueTrench
> it looks pretty white, must be from the moon
Interestingly, lunar regolith is actually pretty dark in coloration, the reason the moon looks so white is that it reflects light pretty eve
u/CrustalTrudger
>Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yes on the impact part, which has been demonstrated to be a viable mechanism for generating these types of
u/macrolidesrule
Just out of curiosity - do these gas bubbles - d owe have enough of them, over a long enough time period to see how the Martian atmosphere composition evolved over deep time?
u/Fitz911
"This person we found has a matching name, date of birth, fingerprint, look, and social security number. So we assume it's the same guy as yesterday."
Makes sense.
OP listed a lot of indica
u/TheOneTrueTrench
> it looks pretty white, must be from the moon
Interestingly, lunar regolith is actually pretty dark in coloration, the reason the moon looks so white is that it reflects light pretty eve
u/CrustalTrudger
>Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yes on the impact part, which has been demonstrated to be a viable mechanism for generating these types of
u/Arkrobo
Adding to this the odds that it came from a near identical planet from elsewhere in the vast expanse of the universe is pretty slim I would think.
u/pigeon768
> Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yup.
Note that "long ago" might be more recent than you expect. The upper end on how long they left Mars
u/macrolidesrule
Just out of curiosity - do these gas bubbles - d owe have enough of them, over a long enough time period to see how the Martian atmosphere composition evolved over deep time?
u/TheOneTrueTrench
> it looks pretty white, must be from the moon
Interestingly, lunar regolith is actually pretty dark in coloration, the reason the moon looks so white is that it reflects light pretty eve
u/CrustalTrudger
>Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yes on the impact part, which has been demonstrated to be a viable mechanism for generating these types of
u/CrustalTrudger
>Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yes on the impact part, which has been demonstrated to be a viable mechanism for generating these types of
u/rvgoingtohavefun
So basically "this small rock we found is very similar to that big rock cruising around the sun, so we're going to assume it came from that big rock."
Makes sense.
u/Fitz911
Haha. Thanks for that information!
u/Fitz911
"This person we found has a matching name, date of birth, fingerprint, look, and social security number. So we assume it's the same guy as yesterday."
Makes sense.
OP listed a lot of indica
u/e_j_white
Just look at this GIF of the earth and moon in [the same photo](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/dscovrepicmoontransitfull.gif?w=1920), the moon appears much darker than one wo
u/CrustalTrudger
>Are these mars space rocks remnants of debris ejected during long ago impacts?
Yes on the impact part, which has been demonstrated to be a viable mechanism for generating these types of
u/rvgoingtohavefun
So basically "this small rock we found is very similar to that big rock cruising around the sun, so we're going to assume it came from that big rock."
Makes sense.