Giant asteroid Bennu contains ‘precious minerals never before seen on Earth’
A giant asteroid labeled ‘potentially hazardous’ contains never-before-seen precious metals.
This is evident from a new study that focused on the infamous asteroid Bennu.
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Some results are finally available from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sampling mission.
That mission sent a small spacecraft to the space rock Bennu.
The asteroid has a diameter of about 1,614 feet.
A sample was taken from the surface in 2020 and landed back on Earth in 2023.
Now scientists have provided insight into what they found on the large space rock.
It is said to contain a rare substance called magnesium phosphate.
This material has never been seen before on Earth.
It is possible that this mineral fell to Earth from space but was too fragile to survive.
This discovery was unveiled last week at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) in Texas.
Jessica Barnes, assistant professor at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL), led the study on the phosphate substances in the sample.
“It’s no surprise that we initially thought this could be a contaminant,” she says Living Science.
Other scientists discovered that Bennu contains water-altered compounds.
There is a theory that life on Earth originated from the impact of an asteroid that brought with it water and the right organic molecules.
There is also some concern that an asteroid like Bennu could end lives on Earth.
Bennu was previously labeled as a possible security risk to our planet.
What is the difference between an asteroid, meteor and comet?
Here’s what you need to know, according to NASA…
- Asteroid: An asteroid is a small rocky body that orbits the sun. Most are found in the asteroid belt (between Mars and Jupiter), but they can be found anywhere (including on a path that could impact Earth)
- Meteoroid: When two asteroids collide, the small pieces that break off are called meteoroids
- Meteor: When a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere, it begins to evaporate and then becomes a meteor. On Earth it looks like a streak of light in the sky because the rock is burning up
- Meteorite: If a meteoroid does not completely evaporate and survive the journey through Earth’s atmosphere, it may land on Earth. At that point it becomes a meteorite
- Comet: Like asteroids, a comet revolves around the sun. But instead of being mostly rock, a comet contains a lot of ice and gas, which can result in the formation of amazing tails behind it (thanks to the evaporation of ice and dust).
It is said that there is a one in 2,700 chance that it could collide with us in the 2100s.
The chances are slim and Bennu has passed Earth before and left us unscathed.
The relative proximity to the asteroid’s path still means it is important for scientists to study the asteroid up close.
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