First saw water on meteorites

US scientists have discovered a lot of freezing water and organic compounds in an unexpected place: meteorites between Mars and Jupiter.

BBC said, 24 Themis, the name of the asteroid above, is nearly 480 million kilometers from the sun. It has a diameter of 160 km and a surface temperature at a negative level. The bandages form a thin layer on about 1/3 of the 24 Themis surface.

According to AP, two research groups of the US Aeronautics Agency (NASA) used an infrared telescope in Hawaii to track 24 Themis - one of the big 'sky rocks' belonging to the meteorite belt between stars. Fire and Jupiter. Humberto Campins, a professor of astronomy from Central Florida University, said experts analyze light waves reflected from meteorite surfaces and detect chemical signs that show the existence of ice. Campins is the head of one of the two research groups.

For years astronomers have always believed that hydrogen, oxygen and water can exist on meteorites. But this is the first time they have found authentic evidence to prove the hypothesis. Not only that, scientists also found molecules of organic compounds. Water and organic compounds are factors that make life on the earth at an early stage.

'This meteorite provides many clues for us to understand the past of life. It also helps us better understand the formation of water on the earth and the formation of the solar system, ' Campins said in an article published in Nature.

Illustration of 24 Themis meteorite and two small blocks of rock flying near it.Photo: AFP .

Scientists believe that when formed a few billion years ago, the earth was a dry object, after which water appeared. So where does the country come from? One of the widely accepted hypotheses is that the Earth takes water from meteorites to plunge into it.

However, meteorites outside the solar system often have heavier hydrogen molecules than the hydrogen molecules in water on Earth. It was a statement by Donald Yeomans, director of NASA's Near Earth Planet Program. Yeomans said ice meteorites between Mars and Jupiter could contain the same type of hydrogen molecule as Earth's water.

Campins said that in theory, ice on a 24-Themis meteorite escapes its surface as a gas. But in fact the ice layer already exists on the surface of 24 Themis for about a billion years. This suggests that a possible supply of ice exists inside the meteorite.

If the ice also exists on many other meteors, especially near-earth meteorites, it will facilitate astronauts in future expeditions. They can build bases on meteorites, use water on them to drink and produce fuel for the spacecraft engine. Recently NASA plans to send people to a meteorite near the globe in the next 15 years. This is a stepping stone in the process of conquering America's Mars.