A study suggests that asteroids containing water could be responsible for up to half of Earth’s oceans.
FOR THE FIRST TIME, researchers have looked at water samples taken from the surface of an asteroid, and their findings might reveal how Earth got up to half its ocean water.
In a study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, cosmochemists at Arizona State University looked at samples from Itokawa, an asteroid about 1,800 feet long that circles the sun every 18 months.
Samples from Itokawa were collected by the Japanese space probe Hayabusa in 2010. Members of the Hayabusa project provided ASU researchers with five particles from the asteroid.
“Until we proposed it, no one thought to look for water,” said Maitrayee Bose, co-author of the report. “I’m happy to report that our hunch paid off.”
Researchers looked at the samples’ mineral grains and found that they were surprisingly rich in water. The discovery, they said, could mean that asteroids considered dry may contain more water than previously thought.
“Until we proposed it, no one thought to look for water,” said Maitrayee Bose, co-author of the report. “I’m happy to report that our hunch paid off.”
Researchers looked at the samples’ mineral grains and found that they were surprisingly rich in water. The discovery, they said, could mean that asteroids considered dry may contain more water than previously thought.