Dust collected from an asteroid 200 million miles from Earth has been found to contain particles that predate the Sun itself. The first detailed analysis of material from the asteroid Bennu has identified “presolar grains” – fragments of stardust formed around dying stars billions of years ago. Scientists believe the discovery offers a rare glimpse into the earliest days of the Solar System, with the samples considered more pristine than any meteorite found on Earth.
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The material was gathered by Nasa’s Osiris-Rex spacecraft, which briefly touched down on Bennu in one of the agency’s most ambitious missions. Using a robotic arm, the craft collected around 120 grams of rock and dust before returning the sample to Earth in 2023. Researchers have since determined that Bennu’s parent asteroid likely formed in the outer regions of the Solar System, possibly beyond Saturn’s orbit.
Further analysis revealed a diverse mixture of substances within the sample, including organic compounds from the outer Solar System and even material from the interstellar medium – the gas and dust that exists between stars. Scientists also detected high-temperature minerals believed to have originated close to the Sun before being transported outwards. According to Professor Sara Russell of the Natural History Museum, the findings provide “a unique snapshot of the outer Solar System at the birth of our Sun”.
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Researchers at the museum also found evidence of ancient water-driven chemical reactions dating back more than 4.5 billion years, before Earth had fully formed. The Bennu sample is seen as an extraordinary window into planetary origins and the early chemistry that shaped the Solar System. Earlier this year, scientists reported that the same material contained the building blocks of life, underlining the mission’s significance. As Professor Russell noted, the lack of exposure to Earth’s atmosphere has preserved the sample in remarkable condition, enabling unprecedented insight into the asteroid’s history and mineral evolution.
