The discovery in space could be the first clue about the existence of life on other planets. The researchers’ explanation.
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)one of the oldest research and development organizations in USAmade an incredible discovery in space which could be the first clue to extraterrestrial life. According to data from the SOFIA airborne observatory of the POTthey discovered water molecules on two asteroids.
The investigation into the existence of life beyond planet Earth It is something that has persisted for many years. Although concrete evidence of this has not yet been found, with the advancement of technology, new exploration tools have been generated that reveal new and unknown data related to the topic.
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The discovery of two asteroids that had molecular water was thanks to the instrument FORCASTan infrared camera that is part of the telescope SOFIAof the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy.
This tool allowed us to observe a total of four asteroids: Isris, Massalia, Parthenope and Melpomene. The first two are the ones that had water, a key indicator to know if life exists on other planets and that could be the first clue to this.
Anicia Arredondo, a doctor from SwRI, spoke about the discovery and explained that “asteroids are remnants of the planetary formation process, so their compositions vary depending on where they formed in the solar nebula.” Additionally, she argued that the distribution of water on asteroids is of particular interest because “May shed light on how water came to Earth”.
Arredondo also said that they based their research on the discovery of molecular water on the surface of the Moon illuminated by the Sun, so they thought they could “use SOFIA to find this spectral signature in other bodies.”
However, when trying, they faced a problem: FORCAST is not sensitive enough to detect what the research team was looking for, that is, spectral characteristics of water. For this reason, they will now have the NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope which will allow them to continue the search for water in space.
In that sense, the doctor of Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), revealed that they have another 30 objectives to analyze. These studies “will increase our understanding of the distribution of water in the solar system“, he claimed.
Source: Ambito
