AI Insight
NASA's Lucy spacecraft discovered evidence of chemical alteration caused by liquid water on the asteroid Donaldjohanson during a flyby. The findings suggest this asteroid originally formed in the outer solar system, where water ice was present, before being pushed into its current inner orbit. This marks significant evidence of water-driven processes on an asteroid that has migrated through the solar system.
Why it matters
The discovery provides important insights into how asteroids migrated during the early solar system's formation and how water ice transformed into liquid water on these bodies. Understanding water distribution and chemical alteration on asteroids helps explain how water and organic materials may have been delivered to early Earth.
Evidence of chemical alteration by liquid water has been found on the asteroid Donaldjohanson, which formed further from the sun before being shoved inwards.
Source: Juicy new details emerge about an asteroid NASA's Lucy spacecraft flew by last year