Incredible volumes of frozen water.

[Matt Starwave]

Even in our solar system there is an incredible volume of frozen water locked in moons, planets and flying around in the proverbial comets,from the Ort. Where the heck did it all come from? Obviously burning hydrogen produces h2O but it is hard to believe any water gases would survive intact after leaving the sun to reach the super cold far flung areas. For sure it must be common process ,seeing there is some much of it around. What's the mechanism? Recycled water world's?

[Matt Starwave]

I may guess we wash and bathe in what was previous Mars oceans. So much guessing and calculated speculation in explaining astronomical origins.

[gary]

Hi Matt,

Here on Earth, one is familiar with the process of the combustion of hydrogen
and oxygen of which a by-product is water.

However, within the Sun, the process of energy release is primarily through that
of nuclear fusion, where hydrogen atoms fuse together to form helium and in doing
so release energy. Fusion takes place because the mass of the star causes
it to fall in on itself under the force of gravity and this crushing force results
in the atoms fusing together.

The process of reactions by which it does this can be complex -
http://www.astrophysicsspectator.com/topics/stars/FusionHydrogen.html

Nevertheless, as a star goes through its life, it generally fuses lighter elements into
heavier elements, up the periodic table.

If a star is large enough when it was born (about 8 solar masses), it eventually
goes through a stage where it "burns" carbon and oxygen which resulted from
fusing helium, which in turn fuses to neon and magnesium and silicon and sulphur.
Once it gets to iron, the star collapses and a supernova occurs. In the
violence of this explosion, all the other elements in the periodic table are
formed and scattered into the surrounding space.

Some of the hydrogen and oxygen will combine to form water.

In the case of the supernova that led to to creation of our solar system,
at least here on Earth, some of the elements, such as gold, had
small abundances.

The iron in your blood was produced at the core of a star that once exploded.

[TrevorW]

Our sun and our solar system were formed via a process of star formation that still occurs to this day in other regions of our galaxy.

The impetus may have been the shock wave from a supernova but the materials existing within the nebula from which our sun and solar system coalesced would have included all the necessary basic elements needed to create other heavier elements over time due to the effects of heat or lack of, pressure and gravity.

As a result during the formation large amounts of water ice were created in the outer regions of our solar system.

[Matt Starwave]

Thanks for the nuclear explanation. So much water in our solar system must be typical of the volume in the wider universe.

[pmrid]

I have always found that concept to be at once both sobering and uplifting. It reminds me a little of the lines from Blake:
"Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour"

Peter