James Webb Space Telescope probes binary asteroid system Mors-Somnus in Kuiper Belt to know Neptune's past

In an exploration of the farthest reaches of our solar system, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will uncover vital clues to Neptune's ancient past by scrutinising a pair of icy asteroids -Mors-Somnus

This binary asteroid system consists of two asteroids and is of interest to scientists studying the dynamics and formation of asteroids and planetary bodies. The system will tell about the evolution of the ice giant Neptune and will also give clues on how the Earth got saturated with water.

The binary asteroid system, dubbed Mors-Somnus, was recently unearthed within the icy expanse of the Kuiper Belt,a region of the outer solar system beyond the orbit of Neptune.

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Notably, Mors-Somnus is a trans-Neptunian object (TNO), an object in the solar system that orbits the Sun at a greater average distance than Neptune. This includes a wide range of celestial bodies, such as dwarf planets, asteroids, and comets.

Dr. Ana Carolina de Souza Feliciano, a lead researcher of the Disco-TNOs programme at the Florida Space Institute, underscored the importance of this find, stating, "We are studying how the actual chemistry and physics of the TNOs reflect the distribution of molecules based on carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen in the cloud that gave birth to the planets, their moons, and the small bodies."

"These molecules were also the origin of life and water on Earth," Carolina added.

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These TNOs are believed to orbit within the region where they originated, largely unaffected by Neptune's migration. With this, it can be understood how Neptune migrated to its current position in the solar system.

With the help of the JWST's surface compositions of Mors-Somnus, scientists have embarked on a pioneering journey, examining the chemical makeup of six of these undisturbed TNOs.

Moreover, comparisons between six of the TNOs and Mors-Somnus revealed a shared origin approximately 2.7 billion miles away in the Kuiper Belt.

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Dr Noemí Pinilla-Alonso, co-leader of the research, envisioned even greater revelations, asserting, "For the first time, we can not only resolve images of systems with multiple components, but we can also study their composition with a level of detail that only the JWST can provide."

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Researchers are anticipating breakthroughs in understanding the formation and migration of objects within the Kuiper Belt and beyond. Dr. de Souza Feliciano expressed her optimism, stating, "Before JWST, there was no instrument able to obtain information from these objects in that wavelength range."

(With inputs from agencies)