Recent research published on samples retrieved from asteroid Ryugu by Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission has unveiled significant insights into the asteroid’s composition and potential implications for understanding the early Solar System
Key Findings of the study:
Discovery of Organic Compounds:
- Two essential organic compounds for living organisms have been detected in the samples brought back from Ryugu.
- Ryugu is a C-type asteroid, a relic from the early days of the Solar System, containing both organic matter, and trapped water.
- The presence of these compounds raises interest among astrochemists as they provide insights into the potential building blocks of life.
Possibility of “Small Seeds of Life”:
- The study suggests the discovery of evidence that could be indicative of cometary organic matter being transported from space to regions near Earth.
- The lack of a protective atmosphere on Ryugu’s surface exposes it directly to space, allowing interplanetary dust to impact the asteroid’s surface and alter its composition.
Melt Splashes and Micrometeoroid Bombardment:
- Melt splashes ranging from 5 to 20 micrometers on the sample surfaces were found, indicative of creation when Ryugu was bombarded by micrometeoroids of cometary dust.
- 3D Computed Tomography (CT) imaging and chemical analyses of these splashes revealed silicate glasses with voids and inclusions of spherical iron sulfides.
Chemical Composition of Melt Splashes:
- The chemical compositions of the melt splashes suggest a mixture of Ryugu’s hydrous silicates with cometary dust.
- Small carbonaceous materials similar in texture to primitive organic matter in cometary dust were detected, but lacked nitrogen and oxygen, unlike typical organic matter.
Evaporation of Volatiles:
- The study proposes that the observed materials formed from cometary organic matter when volatiles like nitrogen and oxygen evaporated due to heating.
- This suggests a mechanism by which cometary matter from the outer solar system could have been transported to a region near Earth.
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