Answer · 1I/'Oumuamua
Release of molecular hydrogen made by cosmic rays inside an ordinary water-ice body, freed as the ice warmed…
Release of molecular hydrogen made by cosmic rays inside an ordinary water-ice body, freed as the ice warmed and annealed near the Sun.
Where it stands
Still possibleIts tests haven't settled it: two pieces of evidence for, one against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.
What it predicts
- Laboratory-irradiated water ice releases enough trapped hydrogen over the right temperature range.
- Other long-irradiated icy bodies (dark comets, distant comets) show hydrogen-driven accelerations.
- A future analogue outgasses molecular hydrogen with little dust.
What would rule it out
- A thermal model including evaporative cooling, run on the published code, that gives a hydrogen yield too small for the push.
Evidence 2 for · 1 against
The questions it answers
Open8 answers, none ahead
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). Release of molecular hydrogen made by cosmic rays inside an ordinary water-ice body, freed as the ice warmed… [Answer ANS0CSKC5106PB2]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0CSKC5106PB2
@misc{mysteriesdept_ans0cskc5106pb2,
title = {Release of molecular hydrogen made by cosmic rays inside an ordinary water-ice body, freed as the ice warmed…},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Answer, catalog key ANS0CSKC5106PB2},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0CSKC5106PB2}
}