Scientists discover water on the surface of an asteroid for the first time

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NASA researchers have announced the discovery of microscopic traces of water on the surface of three large asteroids: 7 Iris, 18 Melpomene and 20 Massalia. Of these, Iris and Massalia showed unmistakable signs of water in quantities similar to those previously found on the sunlit surface of Earth's moon, while previous possible discoveries of water on asteroids could have been simply hydroxyl mistaken for water.

This discovery expands the potential number of places in the inner solar system where water is found. Additional research could further expand this prospect. The astronomers drew their conclusions from data collected from NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) aircraft, which is equipped with a 106-inch telescope on a Boeing 747.

The aircraft allowed the instrument to make observations from the Earth's stratosphere, where there are fewer atmospheric interferences. It also monitored events over the oceans, which cover most of the Earth's surface but do not have telescopes. Unfortunately, in 2022, SOFIA ceased operations, so for future asteroid research, it is planned to use the James Webb Telescope, which has taken amazing images of the solar system and the outer universe since its launch in late 2021.

Source: TechSpot