This is what an asteroid looks like up close.
Really close.
Through an electron microscope!
First studies of the pieces of asteroid Bennu gathered by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft are out now:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/maps.14227 #space #astronomy #nasa #science #life #astrodon
Turns out that asteroids are quite beautiful at microscopic scale.
This "bloom" of phyllosilicate minerals was collected from the surface of Bennu, a near-Earth asteroid, by OSIRIS-REx.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/maps.14227 #science #space #nasa
One major surprise from NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission:
Bennu contain minerals similar to those found at the mid-Atlantic ridge on Earth, indicating that this little asteroid was once part of a bigger, water-rich world.
https://news.arizona.edu/news/bennu-holds-solar-systems-original-ingredients-might-have-been-part-wet-world #science #space #life
OSIRIS-REx sample scientists took a deep dive into the rocks and dust returned from asteroid Bennu. They found that the sample is rich in carbon, nitrogen and organic compounds – essential components for life as we know it.
Corey S Powell