James Webb Telescope Uncovers Water and Mystery in Rare Main-Belt Comet

The James Webb Space Telescope has detected water vapor around a rare comet located in the main asteroid belt, representing the first time that gas has been detected around a comet in this region. The discovery could boost theories that water, a vital ingredient for life, was delivered to our planet from space by comets. However, the study of the comet has also delivered a mystery: Carbon dioxide, which astronomers expected to see, is missing from Comet 238P/Read.