Scientists from the Southwest Research Institute in the United States discovered water molecules on the surface of an asteroid for the first time. This is a diagram of an asteroid. (Shutterstock)
[The Epoch Times, February 15, 2024](Epoch Times reporter Chen Juncun reported) American scientists discovered water molecules on the surface of an asteroid for the first time. Since water is an important substance for life on Earth to sustain, this discovery helps scientists understand how water is distributed in and outside the solar system and search for places where life may exist.
Southwest Research Institute, an independent research institution located in Texas, USA, issued a press release on February 12 stating that through data previously obtained by the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), scientists from the institution Water molecules have been found on the surface of an asteroid for the first time.
SOFIA is a project jointly established by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the German Aerospace Center (German Aerospace Center). It has currently ceased operations.
Anicia Arredondo, a scientist at the Southwest Research Institute who led the study, said: “Asteroids are leftovers from the planet formation process, so they have many different compositions, depending on where they were in the sun. Where in the nebula (Solar Nebula, which refers to the gas cloud in the early stages of the formation of the solar system) was formed.”
Arredondo said that what is most interesting is the distribution of water on asteroids, because this may explain how water is transported to Earth.
An illustration of an asteroid containing water molecules on its surface. (NASA/Carla Thomas/Southwest Research Institute)
Asteroids rich in dry silicate formed close to the sun, while icy material accumulated farther away. Understanding the location of asteroids and their composition can tell us how material in the solar nebula was distributed and evolved after it formed.
The distribution of water in the solar system helps people understand the distribution of water in other galaxies. Because water is required for life on Earth to sustain life, it can also help people search for possible life in and outside the solar system.
Arredondo said they detected a spectral signature on the asteroid that could be clearly attributed to water molecules. Based on scientists’ previous success in discovering water on the moon, they believe they can use SOFIA to find such spectral features on other celestial bodies.
SOFIA has detected water molecules in a large crater in the southern hemisphere of the moon. Scientists estimate that if all the water molecules were gathered together, about 12 ounces (355 milliliters) of water could be collected per cubic meter of lunar soil.
Arredondo said that based on spectral features, the water content on the asteroid is also consistent with that on the moon. Likewise, water on asteroids can be bound to minerals, adsorbed on silicates, or dissolved in silicate glasses created by impacts.
She said that they will use NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, the most advanced infrared space telescope, to investigate more asteroids in the future.
“These studies will improve our understanding of the distribution of water in the solar system,” she said.
The above research results were published in the Planetary Science Journal.
Editor in charge: Ye Ziwei#
