Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
A recent study suggests that the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, particularly the dwarf planet Ceres, may contain essential ingredients for life.
Ceres, the largest body in the asteroid belt, has a concealed ocean beneath its icy surface, which hosts several small underground bodies of salt water.
Researchers, led by Maria Cristina De Sanctis from Italy's National Institute for Astrophysics, identified organic chemicals surrounding Ceres's Ertunet Crater, indicating potential signs of life.
The study reveals that hundreds of square miles around the crater are covered with organic chemicals known as aliphatics, which are believed to have formed within the last 10 million years.
The research concluded that the aliphatics could not withstand prolonged exposure to deep space radiation, suggesting their relatively recent formation in Ceres's underground ocean.
The team created a simulated sediment from Ceres using data from NASA's Dawn mission and subjected it to conditions mimicking space weathering, further supporting their findings about the age of the organic materials.
Simulations indicate that the organic compounds found near Ertunet Crater were not delivered by asteroids or comets but likely formed deep within Ceres itself.
Given the findings, researchers highlight the Ertunet Crater region as a prime target for future missions, either to conduct in situ studies or to return samples from Ceres for further analysis.