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Water Fact File for Asteroids |
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The Bottom Line: |
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Not as dry as they look... |
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Findings from Dr Kotwicki's 1991 Paper: |
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Asteroids called also minor planets, are located mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. They range in size from the 900 km diameter Ceres downwards: and although orbits of more than 4000 of them have been computed and an estimated 20 000 - 30 000 smaller bodies were discovered by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite, their total mass is of the order of 0.003 Earth's mass only. The amount of water in them may range from 0.5%, typical for siliceous meteorites to 20%, characteristic for carbonaceous chondrites, the most primitive meteorites which comprise about 70% of all observed meteorite falls on Earth. Although not plentiful (1020 kg?) by astronomical standards, water in the minor planets may prove valuable in future space exploration. |
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Latest Findings about Water on Asteroids: |
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Above: The Asteroid Gaspra.
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Please contact our Webmaster with questions or comments. © 1991-2005 Dr Vincent Kotwicki.
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