NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is best known for exploring deep into the cosmos in search of the oldest stars in the universe. However, he is also making surprising discoveries in our own "cosmic backyard".
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Recently, the powerful telescope spotted, for the first time, a comet rich in water in the inner solar system, as announced by NASA. This discovery could help unravel the longstanding mystery about the origin of water on Earth, the research team said in a study published in the journal Nature on May 15.
Called Comet Read, this object is shrouded in a nebulosity of gas and dust call halo. By analyzing this halo using a specialized near-infrared instrument that detects heat, the JWST found that the gas is composed primarily of by water vapour, indicating that the comet's core likely contains water ice from the early solar system, with a possible origin 4.5 billion years ago. years.
However, curiously, the halo contains a practically insignificant amount of carbon dioxide, a major component of most known comets.
Comet Read is a special type of main-belt comet located between Mars and Jupiter. Unlike most comets, these rare objects are periodically surrounded by a gaseous halo and tail.
Recently, scientists have detected water ice inside these comets in the most distant regions of the solar system, such as the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud. These regions, located beyond Neptune's orbit, are several trillion miles from Earth.
This discovery confirms that water ice from the early solar system can be preserved much closer to the sun than previously thought. The absence of carbon dioxide on Comet Read is also puzzling to scientists.
Prolonged stay in the asteroid belt is thought to have played a role in this, with carbon dioxide dissipating over billions of years due to heat from the sun.
The origin of water on Earth is an ancient mystery, and the theory that icy comets contributed to the formation of liquid water on our planet gains more strength with this discovery.
The researchers say the next step would be to send a probe to collect physical samples from Comet Read and other similar comets in the asteroid main belt. Such a mission would have the potential to reveal how water is distributed in star systems, offering valuable insights into the origin of life.
Don't miss updates on this exciting space research and discoveries that could unlock the secrets of our solar system. Stay tuned for more information about the probe's mission and its impacts on understanding water and life in the universe.