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Scientists have detected water molecules on the surface of a asteroid in space for the first time. The findings reveal new details about how water is distributed in the solar system and are detailed in a study published on February 12 in The Planetary Science Magazine.
(Related: What astronomers learned from a near-Earth asteroid they never saw coming.)
water molecules have been detected in asteroid samples returned to Earth, but this is the first time that molecules have been discovered on the surface of an asteroid in space. The team studied four silicate-rich asteroids using data from the now-retired Stratospheric Infrared Astronomy Observatory (SOFIA). This airplane equipped with a telescope It was operated by the German Aerospace Center and NASA. Some observations taken by SOFIA Infrared faint object camera (FORCAST) revealed that asteroids Iris and Massalia They have evidence of a specific wavelength of light indicating that water molecules are present on their surface. The asteroid Iris is a giant 124 miles in diameter and orbits our sun between Mars and Jupiter. Massalia is approximately 84 miles wide and is also close to the Red Planet.
“Asteroids are remnants of the planetary formation process, so their compositions vary depending on where they formed in the solar nebula,” Anicia Arredondo, co-author of the study and astronomer and asteroid specialist at the Southwest Research Institute, said in a statement. “Of particular interest is the distribution of water on asteroids, because it may shed light on how water arrived on Earth.”
Dry silicate asteroids They are described as anhydrous and typically form closer to the sun. Further icy space rocks like Chariklo They are further away from the sun. Understanding where asteroids are located in the solar system and what they are made of can tell us how materials in our solar system have been distributed and evolved over time. From Water is necessary for all life on Earth.Identifying where water might exist can indicate where to look for life in our solar system and even beyond.
“We detected a feature that is unequivocally attributed to molecular water on the asteroids Iris and Massalia,” Arredondo said. “We based our research on the success of the team that found molecular water on the sunlit surface of the moon. We thought we could use SOFIA to find this spectral signature on other bodies.”
Water molecules were detected by SOFIA on one of the largest moons craters in its southern hemisphere. Previous observations of the Moon and asteroids found some form of hydrogen, but could not distinguish between water and a close chemical relative called hydroxyl. The team found approximately the equivalent of a 12-ounce bottle of water in the crater. The water was chemically bound to minerals and trapped in a cubic meter of soil spread across the lunar surface.
“Based on the band intensity of the spectral features, the abundance of water on the asteroid is consistent with that of the sunlit Moon,” Arredondo said. “Similarly, on asteroids, water can also bind to minerals, adsorb to silicates, and become trapped or dissolved in silicate impact glass.”
(Related: NASA’s Lucy spacecraft greets asteroid ‘Dinky’ on distant flight mission.)
Partenope and Melpomene were the two faintest asteroids in the study and the data did not reveal any definitive conclusions about the presence of water molecules. According to the team, the FORCAST instrument is not sensitive enough to detect the spectral characteristic of water if it is present here. The team is now receiving help from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope use its precise optics and ability to see infrared signals to investigate other targets in space.
“We have made initial measurements of two other asteroids with Webb during the second cycle,” Arredondo said. “We have another proposal for the next cycle to analyze another 30 objectives. “These studies will increase our understanding of the distribution of water in the solar system.”
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