(ORDO NEWS) — The composition of the minerals of the asteroid Ryugu indicated the place of its birth. A space rock has formed on the outskirts of the solar system.
A group of scientists led by representatives of the University of Hokkaido (Japan) analyzed rock samples using modern scientific instruments, including a scanning electron microscope and a secondary ion mass spectrometer.
The results showed that carbonate minerals and amino acids are present in the dust samples. This composition indicates that the asteroid was formed at a low temperature and water deficit.
Suitable conditions are observed in the regions around Uranus and Neptune, where the evaporation of ice is difficult.
But the team also identified minerals like spinel, olivine and perovskite. They form at high temperatures – from 1000 degrees Celsius.
Based on this information, scientists formulated the hypothesis of the birth of Ryugu. It says that some material from the inner solar system migrated to its edge.
There, he encountered the embryo of Ryugu and became part of it. This explains how rocks were found in its composition, the formation of which requires different conditions.
The isotopes of copper and zinc in the Ryugu samples “closely match” those of the carbonaceous Ywuna meteorite, which was discovered in 1938 in Tanzania.
The scientists also revealed the similarity of the asteroid with the comet 81p / Wild 2.
They concluded that these bodies were formed in a similar way – by mixing materials from the inner and outer solar system.
Scientists noted that the research helps to map the geological history of Ryugu and its place in the universe.
The asteroid is several billion years old and its analysis could reveal details of the solar system’s earliest history.
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