In
the early 1900's, within a massive observatory hidden
amidst the forests of Flagstaff, Arizona, astronomer
Percival Lowell made a
startling discovery.
Peering through his imposing telescope, he claimed to
have witness characteristics of
Mars which had never
been seen before, including evidence of reflective
waters, crisscrossing canals and patches of vegetation.
The
scientific community was skeptical, but it would be
another 70 years before his observations could be
confirmed or disproven.
Lowell's discoveries might have been far-fetched, but
they could not be dismissed entirely.
This is the prelude to 'Where Did Earth's Water Come
From?', and it quickly establishes space exploration as
a constantly evolving endeavor, revealing deeper layers
of understanding with each passing generation.
The
same dynamic applies to our own planet.
Mars is thought to have once housed water and possibly
the means for sustaining life, but that was 'billions'
of years ago.
How
did Earth and Mars experience such a vastly different
fate?
Water defines the longevity and vitality of our planet,
but how it arrived and endured remains a bit of a
mystery.
The
film looks upon the most progressive research to posit a
theory:
a series of icy asteroids once struck our planet,
and their liquid contents informed the formation of
our oceans.
These asteroids were set on their course thanks to the
gravitational tugs and pulls of the planet Jupiter.
The investigation into the extraterrestrial origins of
our water includes studies of the Earth's crust, the
composition of asteroids, the nature of moisture in our
atmosphere, and the various events from the distant past
which conspired to create our wholly unique planet.
Can we retrace the four-billion year history of Earth's
climate?
Through every age, no matter how inhospitable, water has
remained.
The
filmmaker outlines the roles that the
Sun,
volcanoes and the
Earth's magnetic fields
might have played in making that possible.
The film may be brief in running time, but it's
ambitious in scope.
Our
interconnected universe houses a history of mammoth
scope and scale, and the film does a noble job of
exploring the possibilities from one slice of that
history.
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