Water found on asteroids

February 21, 2024

In a monumental discovery reshaping our understanding of celestial bodies, scientists have uncovered traces of water on the surface of two asteroids.
The study sheds light on the distribution of water molecules throughout the solar system
It also offers tantalizing clues about the origins of water on Earth.
It utilized data from the retired NASA mission, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).
The analysis of SOFIA’s observations unveiled distinctive spectral signatures indicative of water molecules on the asteroids Iris and Massalia.
- Both asteroids are more than half a million kilometres away from our planet.
- With diameters measuring 124 miles and 84 miles respectively, these asteroids serve as reservoirs of liquid water, potentially stored within silicate glass beads or bound to mineral surfaces.