NASA’s Webb Finds Water, and a New Mystery, in Rare Main Belt Comet
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope achieves a breakthrough in solar system science, detecting water vapor around a main belt comet using NIRSpec. This discovery suggests that primordial solar system water ice can be preserved in the asteroid belt, while a missing carbon dioxide puzzle prompts further investigation.
Topics
- asteroid belt residency
- carbon dioxide loss
- water distribution
- solar system history
- planetary systems
- Earth-like planet potential
- Comet Read
- main belt comet
- main asteroid belt
- halo
- coma
- tail
- Kuiper Belt
- Oort Cloud
- frozen material
- vaporization