James Webb Telescope Discovers Water in Rare Main Belt Comet

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has detected water vapor around a main belt comet, Comet 238P/Read, for the first time, indicating that water ice from the early solar system can be preserved in the asteroid belt. However, the comet was missing carbon dioxide, which is present in all other comets. Scientists are now on an unexpected quest to understand why Comet Read lacks carbon dioxide and whether other main belt comets also lack it. The discovery could help scientists understand the history of water distribution in the solar system and the origins of Earth's abundant water.