For the first time ever...the discovery of water molecules on asteroids
Scientists have found water molecules on an asteroid for the first time, a significant breakthrough that could help reveal how the Earth formed as it is today.
Studying the formation of asteroids has helped astronomers reveal how materials, including water, are distributed across the solar system, and how this distribution has evolved over the ages.
Since water is an essential element for all life on Earth, scientists hope that this new understanding will help find places to look for potential life, both in the solar system and beyond.
“Asteroids are leftovers from the planetary formation process, so their compositions vary depending on where they formed in the solar nebula,” astronomer Anisia Arredondo, who participated in the discovery, said in a statement.
In the new study, scientists discovered “unambiguous” features of molecular water on the asteroids Eris and Massalia.
Scientists used data from the retired Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a joint project conducted by NASA and the German Space Agency, to make the discovery.
While previous observations have detected a form of hydrogen on the Moon and on asteroids, they have been unable to distinguish between water and its chemical relative hydroxyl.
Scientists previously found the equivalent of roughly a 12-ounce (355 ml) bottle of water trapped in a cubic meter of lunar surface soil that was chemically bound to minerals.
In the new study, scientists found that the level of water on the asteroid corresponds to its abundance on the moon's sunlit surface.
Dr Arredondo added: "Similarly, on asteroids, water can also bind to minerals, and can be absorbed by silicates and trapped or dissolved in silicate glass."
On the heels of the latest findings, scientists are enlisting the first infrared space telescope, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, to investigate more targets due to its precise optics and superior signal-to-noise ratio.
"Of particular interest is the distribution of water to asteroids, because the distribution could shed light on how water is delivered to Earth, with implications for how water is delivered to potentially habitable planets outside our solar system," the team said. .
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