Crazy space rock that looks like a snowman turns out to actually contain ice

Kuiper Belt Object 486958 Arrokoth is not just any space rock; the object consists of two unequal ‘disks’ that are attached to each other, which scientists say makes the object look a bit like a primitive snowman. This comparison now appears to go a lot further than previously thought. Researchers have recently discovered that the snowman actually contains ice. This ice is very special, because it probably comes from the era in which the space rock was formed – billions of years ago. This means that the snowman suddenly appears to be a goldmine for science: the ice in these space rocks is often ice from substances that evaporate quickly. Scientist Sam Birch worked on the research. He says: “Many scientists were convinced that this type of ice had long since disappeared. We are now changing that; we are convinced that it can still be found.” The research was published in the journal.

Sublimation

For the research, Birch’s team looked at Arrokoth, an object in the Kuiper Belt. This object was first examined properly when the New Horizons space probe flew past.

It was determined that the data library of telegram space rock indeed appears to have a kind of sponge-like structure, as is often the case with this type of object. However, no CO gas was spotted on the outside, which the scientists say is extremely remarkable.

Ultimately, this turned out to be due to a domino effect that takes place in the space rock itself. To understand the explanation of this properly, it is important to first point out that ‘ice’ does not only mean ‘water ice’.

There are many other substances that

Change into a kind of ice when they become very cold, such as the gas carbon monoxide (CO). However, this gas has a boiling by following the tips in this article you point of -191.47 degrees Celsius, which in practice means that CO ice will immediately evaporate into gas when it becomes warmer – a process that is also called ‘sublimation’.

Now for Birch’s explanation of the cause of the domino effect: “In essence, we have discovered that it is so cold inside Arrokoth bwb directory that the CO ice present can only sublimate when the cold CO gas already present first escapes through the spongy structure. However, there is a problem here.