Dust returned from asteroid Bennu contains presolar grains that formed around dying stars billions of years ago and material older than the Sun. The sample is chemically primitive and more pristine than meteorites on Earth, preserving a mixture of organic matter from the outer Solar System and interstellar medium alongside high‑temperature grains that likely formed near the young Sun and migrated outward. The parent asteroid likely formed in the outer Solar System, possibly beyond Saturn's orbit. The 120 grams returned by OSIRIS‑REx preserves grains that survived billions of years and captures conditions during Solar System birth and the presence of life's building blocks.
Scientists have analysed samples from the Bennu asteroid, which resembles the Death Star space station in the Star Wars films, and found it is 'chemically primitive'. It contained 'presolar grains' which are stardust that formed around dying stars billions of years ago. The samples provide a glimpse into the outer Solar System during the birth of the sun and are more pristine than any meteorite on Earth, according to a team of researchers.
NASA spacecraft Osiris Rex briefly touched the surface of Bennu with a robotic arm and collected 120g of material which was put into a capsule before it returned to earth in 2023. Scientists have now pieced together the asteroid's origins going back over 4.5billion years. Professor Jessica Barnes, of the University of Arizona, who is one of the authors of the study, said: 'Our data suggest that Bennu's parent asteroid formed in the outer parts of the solar system, possibly beyond the orbit of Saturn.'
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