The discovery was made by studying four silicate-rich asteroids using data gathered by SOFIA, a telescope-outfitted plane operated by NASA and the German Aerospace Center.
Water molecules have been detected on the surface of an asteroid for the first time ever.
Water molecules have been detected on the surface of an asteroid for the first time ever. The discovery was made by studying four silicate-rich asteroids using data gathered by SOFIA, a telescope-outfitted plane operated by NASA and the German Aerospace Center. Two of these asteroids, named Iris and Massalia, exhibit a specific wavelength of light indicating water molecules at their surface.
Water molecules have been detected on the surface of an asteroid for the first time
The discovery was made by studying four silicate-rich asteroids using data gathered by SOFIA, a telescope-outfitted plane operated by NASA and the German Aerospace Center
Two of the asteroids, named Iris and Massalia, exhibit a specific wavelength of light indicating water molecules at their surface
The abundance of water on these two asteroids is similar to that seen on the moon's surface and could be bound to minerals or adsorbed in silicate
Iris and Massalia have similar orbits, traveling an average distance of 2.39 astronomical units from the sun
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
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Deception
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None Found At Time Of
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Fallacies
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The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that scientists have found water molecules on the surface of two asteroids using data gathered by NASA and a German Aerospace Center telescope-outfitted plane. The author does not provide any evidence or reasoning for this claim.
]Water molecules have been detected on the surface of an asteroid for the first time, revealing new clues about the distribution of water in our solar system.
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The author of the article is Samantha Mathewson and she has a history of writing articles that are biased towards space exploration. The title of the article mentions water being found on an asteroid for the first time ever which immediately implies bias in favor of this discovery.
]Water molecules have been detected on the surface of an asteroid for the first time, revealing new clues about the distribution of water in our solar system.
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Conflicts
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Samantha Mathewson has a conflict of interest on the topic of water found on asteroids. She is affiliated with NASA/Carla Thomas/SwRI and Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, USA which may have financial ties to companies or industries related to space exploration.
Samantha Mathewson reports for Space.com which is owned by NBCUniversal Media Ventures LLC.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Samantha Mathewson has a conflict of interest on the topic of water in the solar system as she is affiliated with NASA/Carla Thomas/SwRI and Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, USA. She also mentions Anicia Arredondo who may have financial ties to these organizations.
Samantha Mathewson writes for Space.com which is owned by NBCUniversal Media Ventures LLC.
Scientists have discovered water molecules on the surface of an asteroid for the first time
Two of the asteroids, named Iris and Massalia, exhibit a specific wavelength of light indicating water molecules at their surface
The discovery provides astronomers more data in their quest to determine how Earth got its water: Billions of years ago, might an asteroid or asteroids have transported water to our planet?
Asteroids are believed to be the primary source of Earth's water, providing necessary elements for life as we know it
Accuracy
Scientists have discovered water molecules on the surface of an asteroid using data from NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that the discovery was made using data from NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) without providing any evidence or explanation of how this instrument works. Additionally, there is a dichotomous depiction of asteroids as either dry or icy, which oversimplifies their composition and ignores the possibility that they may have both water-rich and water-poor regions. The article also uses inflammatory rhetoric by stating that understanding the distribution of water in our solar system will provide insight into the distribution of water in other solar systems and drive where to look for potential life, which is a strong claim without any evidence or explanation.
The discovery was made using data from NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).
Dry silicate asteroids form close to the sun while icy materials coalesce farther out.
Bias
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None Found At Time Of
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Site
Conflicts
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None Found At Time Of
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Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of water molecules as they are affiliated with Southwest Research Institute which is involved in research related to asteroids and SOFIA. The article also mentions Dr. Anicia Arredondo who works at NASA and is an expert in planetary science.
The study was conducted by scientists from the Southwest Research Institute, including lead author Dr. Anicia Arredondo of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
Evidence of frozen water on two asteroids in our solar system
Scientists used data previously collected by the SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) endeavor to spot evidence of frozen water on two asteroids.
The discovery provides astronomers more data in their quest to determine how Earth got its water: Billions of years ago, might an asteroid, or asteroids, have transported water to our planet?
Asteroids are leftovers from the planetary formation process, so their compositions vary depending on where they formed in the solar nebula.
The new research was recently published in the Planetary Science Journal.
SOFIA's 747 carried a formidable 8.8-foot-wide (2.7-meter) telescope, which viewed a light that we can't see with the naked eye, called infrared.
Many objects in space emit almost all their energy at infrared wavelengths and are often invisible when observed with visible light.
NASA turned the SOFIA telescope towards asteroids before retiring it to the Pima Air & Space Museum.
The most powerful observatory in space, the Webb telescope, may soon turn its eye to dozens of asteroids that have for billions of years preserved frozen clues.
Ceres, an object in the asteroid belt so large that it's now considered a 'dwarf planet,' may be composed of some 25 percent water.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
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Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that water has been discovered on asteroids by a defunct NASA mission when in fact it was detected by SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) which is still operational. Secondly, the author implies that this discovery provides astronomers with more data to determine how Earth got its water but fails to mention that there are already several theories about the origin of Earth's water and asteroids do not play a significant role in them. Thirdly, the article uses sensationalism by stating that 'asteroids are leftovers from the planetary formation process, so their compositions vary depending on where they formed in the solar nebula,' which is true but does not add any value to the discussion about water discovery. Lastly, there is no evidence of selective reporting or bias.
The article uses sensationalism by stating that 'asteroids are leftovers from the planetary formation process, so their compositions vary depending on where they formed in the solar nebula,' which is true but does not add any value to the discussion about water discovery
The author claims that 'a defunct NASA mission' discovered water on asteroids when it was actually detected by SOFIA
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that NASA is a pioneering space agency and has made significant discoveries. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric when he states that the discovery provides astronomers more data in their quest to determine how Earth got its water. Additionally, there are examples of dichotomous depictions throughout the article such as
A pioneering NASA 747 aircraft outfitted with a big telescope was retired a couple years ago.
<br>Of particular interest is the distribution of water on asteroids, because that can shed light on how water was delivered to Earth.
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None Found At Time Of
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Site
Conflicts
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Interest (0%)
Mark Kaufman has a conflict of interest on the topic of water on asteroids as he is an employee and contributor to NASA. He also reports on SOFIA telescope which is owned by NASA.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Mark Kaufman has a conflict of interest on the topic of water on asteroids as he is an author for Mashable which is owned by Vox Media. He also mentions NASA in his article and it's possible that there may be financial ties between NASA and the Southwest Research Institute, where Anicia Arredondo works.
Mark Kaufman writes for Mashable, a company owned by Vox Media.
