The asteroid Bennu may be a fragment of an ancient ocean world. The presence of a lot of water in its past has been indicated by the discovery of magnesium-sodium phosphate in the sample collected and returned to Earth in the fall of 2023 by NASA’s Osiris-Rex mission. The grains of Well are also rich in carbon and nitrogenin addition to organic compounds, all components essential for life. These results emerge from the first analyses published in the journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science by a research group international which includes researchers from the Institute national of astrophysics, with the support of the Italian Space Agency.
The composition of Bennu
The investigations Chemicals on the Bennu sample revealed interesting information on the asteroid’s composition. Dominated by clay minerals, particularly serpentine, the sample reflects the type of rock found at Earth’s mid-ocean ridges, where mantle material meets water. This interaction not only results in the formation of clay, but also generates a variety of minerals such as carbonates, iron oxides, and iron sulfides.
The unexpected discovery of phosphates
The most surprising discovery was the presence of water-soluble phosphatesthe building blocks of life as we know it on Earth. Phosphates have also been found in samples from the asteroid Ryugu, returned to Earth in 2020 by the Hayabusa-2 mission of the Japanese space agency Jaxa. The magnesium-sodium phosphate in the Bennu sample is notable for the lack of inclusions in the mineral and the size of its grains, unprecedented in any meteorite sample.
“The presence and state of phosphates, together with other elements and compounds on Wellsuggest the presence of water in the asteroid’s history,” says Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona in Tucson, lead author of the paper and the scientist responsible for the OSIRIS-REx mission. “Bennu could have been part of a wetter world. However, this hypothesis requires further investigation.”
Do you think it could actually be from an ancient ocean world? Let us know in the comments!
#Bennu #Fragment #Ancient #Ocean #World
