This planet has been torn apart.
Scientists have found that in the distant past, the famous Ryugu was not common an asteroid, but was part of a planet forming at the edge of the solar system. This is indicated by the chemical composition of some of the rock samples collected from the asteroid.
The publication writes about it ScienceAlert.
On the one hand, the Ryugu asteroid is a typical space rock rich in carbon and water. Such rocks can be found in abundance in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. But Ryugu is not located in this belt, but revolves around the Sun not far from the Earth. This means that some destructive event threw it out of the asteroid belt.
For example, some organic substances correspond to those found in comets.
The team’s results showed that the chemical composition of asteroid Ryugu is similar to that of some asteroids that have accurately moved closer to the Sun from the far regions of our star system.
Scientists also suggested that, most likely, Ryugu in the distant past was part of a failed planet.
Astronomers believe that astroids such as Ryugu hide information about exactly how the planets formed at the dawn of the solar system.
Previously, scientists found that in a star system at a distance of 370 light years from us, there are two planets, revolving around their star in the same orbit.
Read also:
