Water ice on asteroids may be more common than expected
October 8th, 2010 - 12:46 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Oct 8 (ANI): Scientists who made national headlines in April for showing the first evidence of water ice and organic molecules on an asteroid have now discovered that asteroid 65 Cybele contains the same material.
Their discovery suggests that water ice on asteroids may be more common than expected.
“This discovery suggests that this region of our solar system contains more water ice than anticipated. And it supports the theory that asteroids may have hit Earth and brought our planet its water and the building blocks for life to form and evolve here,” said University of Central Florida Professor Humberto Campins.
Asteroid 65 Cybele is somewhat larger than asteroid 24 Themis - the subject of the teams’ first paper. Cybele has a diameter of 290 km (180 miles). Themis has a diameter of 200 km (124 miles). Both are in the same region of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
The academic article reporting this new finding has been accepted for publication in the European Journal “Astronomy and Astrophysics.”
Campins will present the teams’ findings during the 42nd-annual Division of Planetary Sciences Conference in Pasadena, Calif., which concludes Oct. 8. (ANI)
- Icy asteroid may offer clues to source of Earth's water - Apr 29, 2010
- Scientists may have found first direct evidence of water ice on asteroid's surface - Oct 13, 2009
- Scientists finds water ice on asteroid's surface - Apr 29, 2010
- It's official: Jupiter was hit by an asteroid in 2009, not a comet - Jan 29, 2011
- Hubble discovers new, all-water planet - Feb 22, 2012
- NASA's Swift satellite, Hubble Telescope probe asteroid collision debris - Apr 29, 2011
- 'Missing carbon' may explain reduced density of Mars' atmosphere - Mar 09, 2011
- Amateur astronomers observe asteroids as they impact Jupiter - Sep 10, 2010
- Asteroids hit earth more frequently than thought - Apr 26, 2012
- Star attacks planet with radiation - Sep 14, 2011
- Amateur astronomers open potential lab in outer space for scientists - Sep 11, 2010
- Reason for zodiac glow in the eastern night sky identified - Apr 16, 2010
- NASA's Odyssey orbiter to pass Martian career longevity record - Dec 10, 2010
- Astronomer finds planetary system larger than our own - Apr 13, 2012
- Asteroid hit will be catastrophic for India, US, China - Jun 30, 2011
Tags: academic article, asteroid belt, asteroids, astronomy and astrophysics, building blocks, central florida, cybele, diameter, first evidence, florida professor, journal astronomy and astrophysics, jupiter, national headlines, organic molecules, planetary sciences, sciences conference, solar system, themis, university of central florida, water ice