Bennu and Ryugu constituents from samples IR analyses and potential source of terrestrial planets’ ingredients

Samples collected on carbonaceous asteroids and preserved from terrestrial alteration are key witnesses of the early evolution of the Solar System. Here we present the results of the characterization, by the near-IR hyperspectral microscope MicrOmega within the ISAS/JAXA curation center, of the samples returned from the Bennu asteroid by the OSIRIS-REx mission. We compare these samples to those from Ryugu, analyzed with the same instrument and at the same facility, using gram-scale quantities of material. We demonstrate that Bennu and Ryugu samples exhibit similar near-IR diagnostic spectral properties, from the centimetre down to the sub-millimetre scale. A wide variety of compounds are detected within a similar phyllosilicate-rich matrix, including diverse carbonates, H<sub>2</sub>O-rich and NH-rich phases, and notably Hydrated Ammonium-Magnesium-Phosphorus-rich grains. Rarely, anhydrous silicates are also observed. Despite some minor, although significant differences, our results indicate that the parent bodies of Ryugu and Bennu share similar formation and early evolution processes in the outer protoplanetary disk. Their main characteristics would, thus, define an entire class of objects which might have driven specific evolutionary pathways for terrestrial planets, including that which led to life on Earth.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2025-11-04
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65438-z
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Astro and Planetary Science
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.31
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Bennu and Ryugu constituents from samples IR analyses and potential source of terrestrial planets’ ingredients

D. Loizeau, Yuma Enokido, Masahiro Nishimura, Vincent Hamm et al.
2 citations
Nature Communications
Astro and Planetary Science
2.31
article

Bennu and Ryugu constituents from samples IR analyses and potential source of terrestrial planets’ ingredients

D. Loizeau, Yuma Enokido, Masahiro Nishimura, Vincent Hamm, Rachel Y. Sheppard, F. Poulet, R. Brunetto, Max Mahlke, Tatsuaki Okada, Tomohiro Usui, Ryota Fukai, Toru Yada, J.-P. Bibring, Alice Aléon‐Toppani, C. Pilorget, Aurélie Moussi‐Soffys, A. Miyazaki, Rui Tahara, L. Nardelli, D. Baklouti, C. Lantz, Kentaro Hatakeda, Kasumi Yogata, Shigeo Kawasaki, Tianyan Jiang, L. Riu, M. Abe
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Samples collected on carbonaceous asteroids and preserved from terrestrial alteration are key witnesses of the early evolution of the Solar System. Here we present the results of the characterization, by the near-IR hyperspectral microscope MicrOmega within the ISAS/JAXA curation center, of the samples returned from the Bennu asteroid by the OSIRIS-REx mission. We compare these samples to those from Ryugu, analyzed with the same instrument and at the same facility, using gram-scale quantities of material. We demonstrate that Bennu and Ryugu samples exhibit similar near-IR diagnostic spectral properties, from the centimetre down to the sub-millimetre scale. A wide variety of compounds are detected within a similar phyllosilicate-rich matrix, including diverse carbonates, H<sub>2</sub>O-rich and NH-rich phases, and notably Hydrated Ammonium-Magnesium-Phosphorus-rich grains. Rarely, anhydrous silicates are also observed. Despite some minor, although significant differences, our results indicate that the parent bodies of Ryugu and Bennu share similar formation and early evolution processes in the outer protoplanetary disk. Their main characteristics would, thus, define an entire class of objects which might have driven specific evolutionary pathways for terrestrial planets, including that which led to life on Earth.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 16(1)
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Planetary Science Institute (US), Institut Universitaire de France (FR), Université Paris-Saclay (FR), Centre National d'Études Spatiales (FR), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JP), Japan Steel Works (Japan) (JP), European Space Astronomy Centre (ES), Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (FR), Institut UTINAM (FR), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (FR), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (JP), Observatoire des Sciences de l’Univers Terre Homme Environnement Temps Astronomie (FR), The University of Tokyo (JP)
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Astro and Planetary Science
2.31
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.