First detection of traces of CO2 and H2O2 on the surface of the moon Charon

According to research published in Nature Communications on October 1, the James Webb Space Telescope of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has discovered new clues about the surface of Charon - the largest moon of Pluto (dwarf planet Pluto).

This is the first time that traces of CO ₂ (carbon dioxide) and H ₂ O ₂ (hydrogen peroxide) have been detected on the surface of this celestial body. Both are in frozen solid form and add to the list of water ice, ammonia compounds and organic substances previously recorded on the surface of Charon.

Pluto's surface. (Illustration photo: AFP/VNA).

At about 1,200km in diameter, Charon is about half the size of Pluto. Research from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft in 2015 revealed that Charon's surface is covered in water ice. However, detecting chemical compounds at specific infrared wavelengths was a major challenge until the Webb telescope was deployed.

The Webb telescope has also detected CO ₂ and H ₂ O ₂ , both of which play important roles in helping to decipher Charon's formation history and surface processes. According to the study, H ₂ O ₂ may have been formed from ultraviolet radiation and solar wind hitting Charon's water-ice surface over long periods of time. Meanwhile, CO ₂ may have come from meteorite impacts , bringing primitive material from the formation of Charon and Pluto some 4.5 billion years ago to the surface.

Scientist Carly Howett of the New Horizons project assessed that James Webb helped discover many "traces" of compounds that humans could not see before, expanding our understanding of the structure and formation process of distant celestial bodies.

Charon, discovered in 1978, orbits Pluto at a distance of about 19,640km, much smaller than the distance between Earth and the Moon (384,400km). Although it has a silvery-gray surface in most areas, Charon's polar regions are reddish-brown, largely due to the presence of organic materials.

Pluto and Charon are located in the Kuiper Belt, a remote and icy region outside the Solar System. At more than 3 billion miles from the Sun, both bodies are too cold to support life, but they hold many clues about how the planets and moons in the Solar System formed.

The findings from Webb not only help expand our understanding of Charon, but also contribute to the overall picture of small bodies in the Solar System.

Silvia Protopapa of the Southwest Research Institute, a member of the research team, emphasized that each object in the Solar System is an important piece of the puzzle that scientists are trying to piece together. Observations from Webb help confirm that CO ₂ and H ₂ O ₂ on Charon's surface are the products of radiation and collisions , contributing to a better understanding of the formation and resurfacing of celestial bodies. These findings not only help us better understand Charon, but also open up new perspectives in the study of other distant celestial bodies, bringing scientists closer to solving the deep mysteries of the universe.