Researchers using the Advanced Light Source (ALS) have gained new insights into the early solar system by analyzing a sample from the asteroid Ryugu. The ALS, a Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility, allowed scientists to examine the asteroid’s chemical and structural properties using advanced X-ray techniques.
Ryugu, a carbonaceous asteroid, contains primitive materials that trace back to the early solar system. By studying these materials, scientists can explore fundamental questions about the origins of life on Earth. The sample, collected by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft in 2019, revealed four distinct types of carbon compounds. The absence of graphite in the sample suggested that it was never exposed to high temperatures.
This analysis confirmed a direct link between the organic matter in Ryugu and similar materials found in carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, supporting the theory that the asteroid’s organic matter formed through chemical reactions with liquid water on its parent body.
The study of Ryugu’s material builds on previous ALS research, including the analysis of comet dust from NASA’s Stardust mission. These findings contribute to our understanding of how the early solar system evolved and how Earth became habitable.
