Icy Giants of the Kuiper Belt: JWST Looks at Salacia and Máni

Using JWST, Wong and colleagues observed the Kuiper Belt Objects Salacia–Actaea and Máni, finding strong water and carbon dioxide ice signatures but no methane or hydrocarbons. Compared to other KBOs, larger bodies show more water ice and weaker CO₂ features, suggesting internal heating and cryovolcanism may refresh their surfaces. These results place Salacia and Máni in the “Prominent Water” class, linking their origins to the inner Kuiper Belt.