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Can Atoms Travel Between Planets or Galaxies?

-- | May 15, 2016

Question: To start, I know very little about what I am going to ask, so much of my question might seem foolish, but… Can atoms travel from planet to planet or galaxy to galaxy. I know light can travel from distant locations, but can a single atom or group of atoms also make its way across the universe. I know black holes spit off atoms across the universe, and a space ship is atoms that travel across the universe, but I am curious if in relatively calm deep space, are there atoms out there and do they move and interact with other atoms? Thank you. — Eliott

Answer: Yes, atoms and groups of atoms can travel from planet to planet. In fact, we have examples in our own solar system where groups of atoms, such as meteorites, can travel from one planet to another. Meteorites which have been ejected from Mars that ultimately end-up being drawn-in my Earth’s gravity are one example of this type of planet-to-planet transfer. Another example is that is somewhat more theoretical is the deposition of cometary material on planets, which is thought to be a method by which the Earth was seeded with water molecules. As for transfer from galaxy to galaxy, in principle this sort of transfer is possible, but the distances are quite far, and atoms and molecules travel at much slower speeds than the speed of light. With distances between galaxies in the millions of light years, it would take many millions or billions of years for atoms to travel from galaxy to galaxy.

Jeff Mangum

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