At http://phys.org/print371967451.html … water ice has been found on Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko (the ESA Rosetta Mission). The findings are published in January's Nature journal. The coma, the cloud of gas surrounding the nucleus and being blown into space like a Star Wars laser beam, is dominated by water molecules. Water ice must therefore be a major component of the nucleus.
The surface of the comet is principally covered by dark organic material that are black from an eyeball perspective. Water ice on comets goes directly from solid to gas and what remains on the surface is small and mostly composed or refractory materials. The article then goes on to describe the discovery of little bits of water ice on the surface. A spokesman adds, comets are porous – 70 per cent is void. As such, heat at the surface (caused by the Sun) cannot penetrate very far below the surface.
So, we have a solid and bumpy surface, with little evidence of water, yet the theory remains as far as the innards of the comet are concerned – and how do you get inside the innards? Seems like mainstream will keep their story going for a long time yet.
At http://phys.org/print371984269.html … a galaxy swept by an ultra fast x-ray wind has been discovered – a wind of high speed gas issuing from a the centre of a bright spiral galaxy.