A thin layer of ice and organic matter is present on the surface of asteroid 24 Themis , according to the journal Nature . Researchers from the US universities Johns Hopkins, Tennessee and Florida suggest that the ice could be even more abundant in the interior of the asteroid. The finding could explain the origin of the water on Earth .
Scientists have long suspected the existence of ice on asteroids, but this is the first time confirmed, thanks to the use of the NASA Infrared Telescope (NASA Infrared Telescope Facility, IRTF, in English).
Organic remains found on 24 Themis, with 200 kilometers wide is one of the largest asteroids of the inturón c between Mars and Jupiter, have a long chain of molecules, suggesting to scientists that if they fell to the Earth were essential in the development of life , said Josh Emery of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of Tennessee.
The researchers do not yet explain the presence of ice on the asteroid given its proximity to the Sun, but they think that the permanence of the frozen, non-evaporated liquid could depend on the latitude, and it would form cyclically.
“Extending these findings to other planetary systems around other stars, the presence of the essential building blocks of life – water and organic molecules – could be more common than we thought,” says Josh Emery. “The years ahead will be really exciting, as astronomers will try to discover if there are other places where life has also worked its magic.”
