Department News

Searra is beginning her second year as a graduate student at LPL. She studies exoplanets to determine potential suitability for life, drawing from the fields of astrobiology and exoplanets. Searra develops and uses models to understand exoplanet atmospheres, which helps researchers learn not only more about the behavior of these planets, but also about other planets similar to Earth. Searra hopes that expanding research in the fields of astrobiology and exoplanets promotes public interest in science and inspires young people, especially girls, to pursue research in space science. Searra's faculty advisor is Associate Professor Ty Robinson.

On Oct. 24, 2005, SPACEWATCH® observer Mike Read discovered a main-belt comet using the SPACEWATCH® 0.9m telescope on Kitt Peak mountain. Now, astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope's Near-Infrared Spectrograph instrument, have discovered water vapor around that very object, Comet 238P/Read. This observation marks the first time that a gas – specifically water vapor – has been found around a comet in the main asteroid belt, indicating that water ice from the primordial solar system can be preserved there. However, the successful detection of water comes with a new puzzle: unlike other comets, Comet 238P/Read had no detectable carbon dioxide.

Comet Read is a main belt comet – an object that resides in the main asteroid belt but which periodically displays a halo, or coma, and tail like a comet. Main belt comets are a fairly new classification, and Comet Read was one of the original three comets used to establish the category. Before that, comets were understood to reside in the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud, beyond the orbit of Neptune, where their ices could be preserved farther from the Sun. Frozen material that vaporizes as they approach the Sun is what gives comets their distinctive coma and streaming tail, differentiating them from asteroids.

Scientists have long speculated that water ice could be preserved in the warmer asteroid belt, inside the orbit of Jupiter, but definitive proof was elusive – until Webb. But the missing carbon dioxide was a bigger surprise. Carbon dioxide generally makes up about 10% of the volatile material in a comet that can be easily vaporized by the Sun’s heat. The science team presents two possible explanations for the lack of carbon dioxide. One possibility is that Comet Read had carbon dioxide when it formed but has lost that because of warm temperatures. Another is that Comet Read may have formed in a particularly warm pocket of the solar system, where no carbon dioxide was available.

The next step is taking the research beyond Comet Read to see how other main belt comets compare.

The research is published in the journal Nature (Kelley et al., May 15, 2023): https://rdcu.be/dcBbV.

Image of 238P/Read captured by the NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope on September 8, 2022. It displays the hazy halo, called the coma, and tail that are characteristic of comets, as opposed to asteroids. The dusty coma and tail result from the vaporization of ices as the Sun warms the main body of the comet. Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, M. Kelley (Univ. of Maryland). Image processing: H. Hsieh (Planetary Science Inst.), A. Pagan (STScI)

Discovery image of Comet 238P/Read taken with the SPACEWATCH®.0.9m telescope.

Nancy Ramos is the recipient of the LPL Staff Excellence Award for 2023.

In her role as Executive Assistant for the OSIRIS-REx management team, Nancy provides administrative, technical, and logistical support for the mission team. Nancy excels in her high-pressure role, making the organization of meetings, calendars, and large team events seem effortless. She ensures efficient team communication and manages special projects such as the team's recent move from the Drake building to the Kuiper building. In addition to her many professional contributions, Nancy volunteers to support department activities of all types and to foster a sense of community with LPL as well as the OSIRIS-REx team.

Prior to joining the OSIRIS-REx team, Nancy spent six years in similar administrative roles, first at Northern Arizona University and then at the University of Arizona. Nancy has a Bachelor’s degree in English from Northern Arizona University.

In her free time, Nancy enjoys spending time with her husband and two cats. Nancy adores all things feline and was founding president of Northern Arizona University’s student-run “trap, neuter, vaccinate, return, manage” organization, the Feral Cat Alliance.

Asteroid 47862 Nancyramos was named in her honor.