Perth, Australia
The samples collected from the 4.5-billion-year-old Asteroid Bennu and brought to Earth are being studied by researchers from Curtin University, who are part of an international team, to understand the origins of our solar system.
The scientists carrying out the research have said that the asteroid most likely existed before the birth of the Solar System and may have brought water and life to Earth.
NASA’s billion-dollar OSIRIS-REx mission completed its seven-year journey in September last year and brought back samples from the asteroid Bennu. Its specimens were sent to different research laboratories across the world, which included Curtin.
In a new study, which has been published in Meteoritics and Planetary Science, some amazing findings from the samples have been revealed.
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The scientists found dark particles, which ranged from dust-sized to approximately 3.5 cm long, along with some lighter particles and stones, with brighter material that formed veins and crusts in the samples of the asteroid.
“Analyses show Bennu is among the most chemically primitive materials known, similar in composition to the visible surface of the sun,” said OSIRIS-REx Sample Analysis Team member Associate Professor Nick Timms.
“This indicates Bennu has undergone different processes to the planets, and these processes changed the abundance of particular elements relative to the sun," he added.
In the analysis of the samples, the presence of various components were also confirmed, like hydrated phyllosilicates, which is a type of mineral that forms when water is present, and carbon-rich material.
“This means asteroids such as this may have played a key role in delivering water and the building blocks of life to Earth,” said Associate Professor Timms.
Asteroid Bennu's samples have presolar grains which existed before Solar System
The scientists also found some unexpected components in the samples. “We were surprised to find magnesium-sodium phosphates, which further suggests Bennu experienced chemical environments which possibly involved water," said Associate Professor Timms.
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“We also found other trace minerals, which offer clues as to the processes which have happened on Bennu over billions of years, such as temperature and pressure conditions. These trace minerals help paint a picture of Bennu’s evolution and also offer insights into the early solar system and how the different planetary bodies in the solar system were created," he added.
“The sample has presolar grains created before our solar system existed, which can provide a detailed biography of the lives of ancient stars,” the professor further said.
(With inputs from agencies)