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Astronomers discover water vapor around rare comet — offering lessons for Earth

By
Jesse O’Neill
Published May 16, 2023, 1:39 p.m. ET

Astronomers made a breakthrough discovery Monday while observing a rare comet — which could shed light on the origins of Earth’s abundant water.

The group of scientists detected water vapor around the comet, located in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

The long-awaited discovery suggests that water can be preserved as ice in warmer parts of the solar system and could have been delivered to Earth from a comet.

Scientists made the breakthrough discovery using the powerful James Webb Space Telescope, according to a peer-reviewed study published in the scientific journal Nature Monday.

It came after 15 years of attempts by astronomers to use different observation methods.

The water vapor was detected in Comet 238P/Read, a rare comet in the main belt, which is home to millions of asteroids that orbit the Sun.

“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 the JWST can we say ‘yes,’ it’s definitely water ice that is creating that effect,” leading researcher University of Maryland astronomer Michael Kelley said in a statement.

Close-up view of the Comet Tempel, target of NASA's Deep Impact mission 1.
The discovery of water vapor around the comet suggests that water can be preserved as ice in warmer parts of the solar system, according to astronomers. ESA & NASA

“With the JWST’s observations of Comet Read, we can now demonstrate that water ice from the early solar system can be preserved in the asteroid belt.”

Comets consist of frozen dust, rock, and ice from the formation of the solar system.

Scientists were surprised to observe a seeming lack of carbon dioxide in Comet 238P/Read and theorized that the comet either originated in a part of the solar system without the essential compound or that it was boiled off by the Sun.

This graphic presentation of spectral data highlights a key similarity and difference between observations of Comet 238P.
“With the JWST’s observations of Comet Read, we can now demonstrate that water ice from the early solar system can be preserved in the asteroid belt,” University of Maryland lead researcher and astronomer Michael Kelley said. NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI)

“Being in the asteroid belt for a long time could do it — carbon dioxide vaporizes more easily than water ice and could percolate out over billions of years,” Kelley said.

Scientists had previously believed that all comets came from the Kuiper Belt past Neptune, or the far-flung hypothesized icy Oort Cloud at the edge of the solar system, according to Space.com.

Both locations would offer the solid ice of a comet’s coma and tail protection from solar radiation, unlike a comet closer to Mars, according to the previous theory.

The finding marked the first conclusive evidence that comets could hold onto water in a warmer section of the solar system, and could possibly help unlock the mysteries of life on Earth, which is made possible by water.

The water vapor was detected in Comet 238P/Read, a rare comet in the main belt that is home to millions of asteroids.
The water vapor was detected in Comet 238P/Read, a rare comet in the main belt that is home to millions of asteroids. NASA, ESA, CSA, Mike Kelley (UMD)

“Our water-soaked world, teeming with life and unique in the universe as far as we know, is something of a mystery — we’re not sure how all this water got here,” research co-author and Webb Deputy Project Scientist for Planetary Science Stefanie Milam said.

“Understanding the history of water distribution in the solar system will help us to understand other planetary systems and if they could be on their way to hosting an Earth-like planet.”