Scientists from the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) detected water molecules on the surface of an asteroid for the very first time.
Using data from the now-grounded Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), they analyzed four silicate-rich asteroids captured by SOFIA's Faint Object InfraRed Camera (FORCAST) instrument.
They found that two of them featured mid-infrared spectral signatures indicative of molecular water. Water molecules have previously been detected in asteroid samples, but this is the first time they were detected on the surface with this type of observation.
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