The Solar System, a vast expanse of celestial bodies ranging from planets and moons to comets and asteroids, has long fascinated astronomers with its mysteries. Among its myriad asteroids, thought to number upwards of 1 million, the prevailing belief was that any water present on these rocky bodies should have long evaporated.
However, a recent groundbreaking study using data from the SOFIA infrared telescope has shattered these assumptions by discovering water on the asteroids Iris and Massalia.
Iris, boasting a diameter of 199 km (124 miles), stands out as one of the largest asteroids, orbiting the Sun within the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Meanwhile, Massalia, comparable in size to Iris at 135 km across, shares a similar orbit within the belt.
The composition and structure of asteroids across the Solar System vary, with silicate asteroids dominating nearer to the Sun and icy asteroids becoming more prevalent further out. Understanding the distribution of these asteroids sheds light on the composition and transfer of elements in the solar nebula before the formation of planets and asteroids.
The data captured by SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, has once again revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos. By utilizing its Faint Object InfraRed Camera (FORCAST), researchers detected the signature of water molecules on the surface of Iris and Massalia, akin to the previous discovery of water on the Moon in October 2020.
Dr. Anicia Arredondo from the Southwest Research Institute, the lead author of the study, confirmed that the volume and prevalence of water on these asteroids align with findings on the Moon. Much of the water appears to be locked up, bound to minerals and absorbed by silicates.
While data from fainter asteroids like Parthenope and Melpomene proved inconclusive due to noise interference, the team remains undeterred. Further analysis using the James Webb Space Telescope promises to provide deeper insights, leveraging its superior optics and signal-to-noise ratio to unravel the mysteries of water distribution across the Solar System.
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