[ad_1]
Water is essential to life as we know it, and it appears to be abundant in many places outside Earth. Researchers have now detected the presence of water molecules on the surface of an asteroid for the first time.
“Because asteroids are leftovers from the planet-forming process, their composition varies depending on where in the solar nebula they formed. Of particular interest is the distribution of water on asteroids, because how does water get to Earth? “We’re going to be able to find out why it’s happening,” said Anicia Arredondo, lead author of the study. Planetary Science Journal They published a paper on this discovery in a press statement.
Dry asteroids and silicate asteroids form closer to the Sun, while icy material collects and forms asteroids further away, according to the Southwest Research Institute. Looking at the location and composition of asteroids in our solar system tells us how the solar nebula that formed them was distributed. Understanding the distribution of water in our solar system could help us understand its distribution in other star systems, which could aid in the search for extraterrestrial life.
“We detected signatures clearly attributable to water molecules on the asteroids Iris and Massalia. We build on the success of the team that discovered water molecules on the sunlit surface of the moon. We thought we could use SOFIA to find this spectral feature in other objects,” Arredondo added.
The retired Stratospheric Infrared Astronomy Observatory (SOFIA) previously detected water in the moon’s largest crater in the southern hemisphere. Although they were able to detect some form of hydrogen on both the moon and some asteroids, they were unable to distinguish between water and its close chemical relative, hydroxyl.
“Based on the band intensities of the spectral features, the abundance of water on the asteroid matches that of the sunlit moon. Similarly, on the asteroid, water is not only bound to minerals; It can be adsorbed to the silicates and become trapped or dissolved in the silicate-impingement glass,” Arredondo explained.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Date first uploaded: February 15, 2024, 20:00 IST
[ad_2]
Source link
