US EditionFindings from asteroid dust discovered 200 million miles from Earth revealed
Samples from asteroid Bennu reveal presolar grains over 4.5 billion years old and evidence of early water-driven chemical reactions, contributing to understanding of Solar System formation.
- Scientists from an international team analyzed pristine samples collected by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission from asteroid Bennu, returned to Earth in 2023.
- The mission aimed to study Bennu's material because meteorites alter upon entering Earth's atmosphere, but these samples remained unchanged since arrival.
- Researchers found that Bennu formed over four billion years ago, likely in the outer Solar System, underwent aqueous alteration, and contains presolar stardust grains older than our sun.
- Two papers published on August 22, 2025, described Bennu's chemical transformation by water and space weathering, with Barnes stating, "This is work you just can't do with telescopes."
- These findings reveal Bennu as a cosmic time capsule with building blocks of life and water-bearing minerals, advancing understanding of solar system origins and potential sources of Earth's water.
9 Articles
9 Articles
Bennu Asteroid: Billions of Years of Solar System History - Archyworldys
Bennu Asteroid Samples Reveal Solar System’s Hidden History Initial analysis of samples returned from the asteroid Bennu is providing unprecedented insights into… The post Bennu Asteroid: Billions of Years of Solar System History appeared first on Archyworldys.
Findings from asteroid dust discovered 200 million miles from Earth re
Dust scooped up from an asteroid by a NASA spacecraft 200 million miles from Earth has been found to contain material that is older than our sun. The first major study of the chemistry of the asteroid Bennu identified “presolar grains” – stardust that condensed around dying stars billions of years ago. An international team of scientists, including some from London’s Natural History Museum, say the samples are a snapshot of the early Solar Syste…
Manchester researchers help reveal asteroid Bennu’s complex origins
New analyses of the samples taken from asteroid Bennu by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx have revealed new insights into its origin – and The University of Manchester’s scientists have played a key role.A series of three new papers published this week in Nature Astronomy and Nature Geoscience, reveal that Bennu is a mix of dust formed in our solar system, organic matter from interstellar space and stardust that predates the solar system itself. The asteroid i…
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