Researchers use beams of muons to analyze the elemental composition of Asteroid Ryugu samples

Stone samples brought back to Earth from asteroid Ryugu have had their elemental composition analyzed using an artificially generated muon beam from the particle accelerator in J-PARC. Researchers found a number of important elements needed to sustain life, including carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, but also found the oxygen abundance relative to silicon in asteroid Ryugu was different from all meteorites that have been found on Earth, reports a new study in Science.