Water molecules discovered on two asteroids for the first time. Mothballed infrared telescope “SOFIA’s data provided the data.
Asteroids are remnants from the time the solar system was formed. The distribution of water on the asteroids is of particular interest because it can provide information about how the water got to Earth. No clear results for less bright asteroids because the ‘SOFia’ instrument used was apparently not sensitive enough to clearly detect water. Another telescope will now be used: the currently most powerful infrared telescope in the world, the “James Webb” space telescope.