“Water Vapor Detected Around Main Belt Comets: New Discovery by Space Researchers”

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Space researchers detected water vapor in the vicinity comet in the main asteroid belt, also known as main belt comets. The findings were obtained after observations made using the James Webb Space Telescope.

Quoted from page Engadget, Thursday (18/5/2023), scientists have long hypothesized that comets can preserve water in the form of ice. However, they did not have strong evidence until the latest findings.

Researchers generally expect comets with water to be in the Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud. Both are located far enough from the sun for the ice to persist. Meanwhile, comets caught by telescopes have water, which is part of the main belt.

Main asteroid belt or main belt it is located between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. The region is filled with a number of irregular objects called asteroids or dwarf planets. The latest findings by experts have created a new puzzle.

This is because the Webb instrument did not detect carbon dioxide or CO2 in the main belt comet named Read. Meanwhile, carbon dioxide usually represents 10 percent of the potentially volatile material in comets. The research group speculates that CO2 was lost over billions of years, or that Read formed in a relatively CO2-devoid of parts of the Solar System.

Comet Read was one of the first objects used to define the main belt comet category. The Webb telescope is the first tool powerful enough to study this comet in detail.

Further observations are needed to understand whether the absence of CO2 on Read is coincidental or a similar condition exists in other main belt comets. Research team member Stefanie Milam suggested setting up a sample collection mission to help learn more about the comet.

The mission is considered far more “affordable” than missions to study the condition of other comets. For comparison, the Kuiper Belt is roughly on the edge of Neptune’s orbit, while the Oort Cloud is roughly two light years from Earth.