Water has been discovered on the surface of an asteroid, according to a recent study using data from the SOFIA infrared telescope. The study found water on two asteroids, Iris and Massalia, which are among the million or so asteroids in our solar system. Iris is the largest of the two, measuring 199 km in diameter, and orbits the Sun within the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter at an average distance of 2.39 astronomical units, taking 3.7 years to complete one orbit.
Massalia is of comparable size to Iris, measuring 135 km across, and shares an orbit similar to that of Iris.
The discovery of water on asteroids Iris and Massalia is significant, as it was previously thought that any water present on asteroids had evaporated long ago. The study used data captured by SOFIA's Faint Object InfraRed Camera (FORCAST) to detect the signature of water molecules on the surface of the asteroids.
The lead author of the paper, Dr. [Keep checking back for more coverage.]
Our Solar System is a collection of objects from planets and moons to comets and asteroids. It’s thought there are upwards of 1 million asteroids orbiting the Sun and it was thought that any water present on them should have evaporate long ago. A recent study using data from the SOFIA infrared telescope discovered water on the asteroids Iris and Massalia. Massalia is of comparable size to Iris, measuring 135 km across, and shares an orbit similar to that of Iris.
The discovery of water on asteroids Iris and Massalia is significant, as it was previously thought that any water present on asteroids had evaporated long ago. The study used data captured by SOFIA's Faint Object InfraRed Camera (FORCAST) to detect the signature of water molecules on the surface of the asteroids.
The lead author of the paper, Dr. [Keep checking back for more coverage.]
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