![]() Thirdly, and perhaps most surprisingly, the comet lacked any semblance of carbon dioxide (envious, Earth climate scientists?). "With Webb's observations of Comet Read, we can now demonstrate that water ice from the early solar system can be preserved in the asteroid belt," she continues. ![]() "In the past, we've seen objects in the main belt with all the characteristics of comets, but only with this precise spectral data from Webb can we say yes, it's definitely water ice that is creating that effect," explained astronomer Michael Kelley, lead author of the study. While we knew there would be some quirky icy objects within the main asteroid belt that were not like the other guys, definitive proof remained elusive. In fact, Read (the comet in question) was only reclassified from an asteroid to a comet fairly recently, after research showed that it possessed a snazzy coma and streaming tail as well, differentiating it from a typical asteroid. As they orbit closer to the Sun, evaporating vapours render it a gleaming tail that we what we typically see from Earth. Secondly, we didn't know this was even possible! Frozen water-bearing comets typically reside beyond Neptune, since that's about the only place the Sun won't evaporate all of its life-bearing stuff. For starters, asteroids have been postulated to deliver water to our planet for a hot while, and the fact that objects in the oh-so-close main asteroid belt (that exists between Mars and Jupiter) host some only supports that theory. The reason this steamy discovery is supremely exciting is manyfold. Using the observatory's Near-Infrared Spectrograph, astronomers have detected gaseous water vapour clinging onto a comet within our solar system's main asteroid belt! NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has achieved yet another exciting discovery that could very well add another piece to the water-on-Earth puzzle. And if anyone’s wondering what new scientific discovery to stretch to intrigue their audience, how about mobile comet saunas serving as a relaxing stop as you trudge along the highways of the cosmos? Truly, scientists are science fiction writers’ best friends. Interstellar wouldn't exist without us discovering the mysterious black holes in the first place. The Jetsons would never be able to popularise the flying car if cars weren't invented.
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