"Cometary Dust Reveals Organic Matter Origins on Asteroid Ryugu"

1 min read
Source: Livescience.com
"Cometary Dust Reveals Organic Matter Origins on Asteroid Ryugu"
Photo: Livescience.com
TL;DR

Samples from asteroid Ryugu collected by Japan's Hayabusa2 mission contain organic matter similar to primitive organic material, likely delivered to Earth by ancient comets. The organic matter was found within "melt splashes" created when cometary dust struck the asteroid's surface, suggesting that cometary material was transported to the near-Earth region from the outer solar system. This discovery provides insight into the transportation of primordial organic material to the space around Earth over 4 billion years ago, prior to the emergence of life.

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