The discovery allows us to better understand the dynamics of Neptune's orbit
Space Telescope «James Webb» (JWST) is helping scientists uncover the secrets of Neptune's evolution and the appearance of water on Earth through the study of icy asteroids at the edge of the solar system.
One of the new discoveries was the discovery of the binary asteroid system Mors-Somnus, located inside an icy region inhabited by objects that make up the Kuiper Belt beyond the orbit of Neptune. Scientists propose using this system as a model for studying not only the dynamics of Neptune, but also other icy bodies in the Kuiper Belt — trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). Some of the larger TNOs have been studied in detail before, but this study, conducted as part of the JWST Observational Program “Surface Composition of Trans-Neptunian Objects”, provides the first data on the surface composition of a pair of TNOs and reveals their chemical composition.
Scientists, led by Ana Carolina de Souza, conducted a study of the data and identified the chemical composition of Mors-Somnus. This allowed them to better understand the distribution of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen molecules, which may have played a key role in the formation of planets and small bodies in our solar system. In addition, these molecules are the source of life and water on Earth.
What makes Mors-Somnus special is its status as a rare Kuiper Belt binary system. Typically, binary systems are short-lived due to the lack of protection from other ice objects within the belt. This suggests that Mors-Somnus traveled relatively slowly to reach its current position outside the Kuiper Belt.
The researchers also compared the surface of Mors Somnus with the other six TNOs and found similarities between them. All of these cool types, including the asteroids Mors and Somnus, formed in the same region of the Kuiper Belt, about 4.35 billion kilometers apart. This could help scientists better understand the history of Neptune and its migration to its current orbit.
The scientific director of the study, Noemi Pinilla-Alonso, developed a program called Disco-TNOs aimed at detailed exploration of objects in the Kuiper Belt and even beyond using JWST. She emphasizes that the telescope has unique spectral capabilities that allow us to expand the boundaries of the study of objects in the solar system.
It is expected that subsequent data obtained from JWST as part of the Disco-TNOs program will bring even more interesting discoveries that will help to better understand the processes occurring in our Solar System and their influence on the emergence of life on Earth.