Found water on asteroids belonging to the Solar System

Evidence of water is found on dust particles from Itokawa asteroid 25143 thanks to laboratory analyzes.

Scientists at the University of Arizona, USA (ASU) on May 1 found evidence of the existence of the country on 25143 Itokawa , an asteroid of about 330m in diameter in the solar system. The new finding reinforces the hypothesis that water on Earth originates from asteroids.

Asteroid 25143 Itokawa.(Photo: Space).

The team analyzed small dust particles from the surface 25143 Itokawado brought back to Earth by Hayabusa , the Japanese expedition ship in 2010. The results showed that the dust sample contained higher than average water content compared to other objects in the solar system. This is the first time scientists have discovered water on asteroids by laboratory analysis.

Besides, the scientists also identified two of the dust particles collected by Hayabusa that contain rocky silicate mineral, called pyroxene . On Earth, pyroxene also contains water in their crystal structure. The team said that they used a secondary nano-scale mass spectrometer (NanoSIMS) at ASU to measure the composition of dust particles.

Two dust particles are brought by Hayabusa ship from the surface of 25143 Itokawa.(Photo: Space).

The trace of water on an asteroid was first announced in 2010 when astronomers found ice on the asteroid Themis, using NASA's infrared telescope in Hawaii. Last December, NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission also detected hydrated minerals on the asteroid Bennu.

Scientists now believe that water is common on asteroids in the solar system, whether in the form of ice or hydrated minerals. S-type asteroids like 25143 Itokawa (made up of silicates) may have supplied up to half of the Earth's history.