We dunno what's more wild: This vid of Japan's probe bouncing off an asteroid to collect a sample – or that the rock was sun-burnt
(2020/05/08)
- Reference: 1588973790
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/05/08/asteroid_ryugu_sun_heating/
- Source link:
Video Close-up footage of asteroid Ryugu, taken by the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft as it touched down to retrieve a sample, reveals the near-Earth object’s surface may have been torched by the Sun as its orbit changed over time.
Ryugu, shaped like a spinning-top, circles our star once every 16 months and hangs out between Earth and Mars. Its orbit may not have been so stable in the past, though, according to this here study [1]published today in Science. Images show strips of its surface appeared redder than other sections, suggesting those areas were once exposed to solar heating or space weathering.
"We suggest that a surface reddening event within a short period of time could be explained if Ryugu underwent a temporary orbital excursion near the Sun, causing higher surface heating,” noted the large international team of boffins, led by the University of Tokyo, who worked on the study.
It appears the asteroid should be blue-tinged overall, however, the solar heating and space weathering turned it red – apart from its poles, which received less heating and stayed blue. The academics believe that over time, a constant bombardment by space debris caused the red surface material to mix with the blue stuff underneath to form colored bands across the rock, as illustrated below:
[2]
The formation of red and blue bands on Ryugu
Click to enlarge ... Image Credit: Morota et al
The eggheads also [3]emitted a high-def video of [4]Hayabusa 2 descending on Ryugu last year: the probe touched down on the surface, "sampling horn" first, and fired a small bullet-like projectile to kick up some dust. That material was collected by the horn, and will be returned to Earth. We've shared a slightly lower-res version here:
[5]Youtube Video
Launched in 2014, [6]Hayabusa 2 carried multiple instruments, and deployed four rovers on Ryugu when it eventually reached the cosmic boulder. It is expected to return its asteroid samples to Earth in December. Scientists expect the dust particles will be made up of a mixture of the red and blue material. They will analyze it in more detail, looking for more evidence it was scorched by the Sun.
“We predict that the returned sample will contain a mix of altered and unaltered materials, with the former recording a solar heating event,” the team concluded. ®
Sponsored: [7]Forrester Build a Digital Experience Portfolio
[1] https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6491/654
[2] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/05/07/ryugu_colour.jpg
[3] https://science.sciencemag.org/content/suppl/2020/05/06/368.6491.654.DC1
[4] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/02/22/hayabusa_2/
[5] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/05/08/jaxa_ryugu_landing.mp4
[6] http://www.hayabusa2.jaxa.jp/en/
[7] https://go.theregister.co.uk/tl/1936/-8554/forrester-build-a-digital-experience-portfolio?td=wptl1936
Ryugu, shaped like a spinning-top, circles our star once every 16 months and hangs out between Earth and Mars. Its orbit may not have been so stable in the past, though, according to this here study [1]published today in Science. Images show strips of its surface appeared redder than other sections, suggesting those areas were once exposed to solar heating or space weathering.
"We suggest that a surface reddening event within a short period of time could be explained if Ryugu underwent a temporary orbital excursion near the Sun, causing higher surface heating,” noted the large international team of boffins, led by the University of Tokyo, who worked on the study.
It appears the asteroid should be blue-tinged overall, however, the solar heating and space weathering turned it red – apart from its poles, which received less heating and stayed blue. The academics believe that over time, a constant bombardment by space debris caused the red surface material to mix with the blue stuff underneath to form colored bands across the rock, as illustrated below:
[2]
The formation of red and blue bands on Ryugu
Click to enlarge ... Image Credit: Morota et al
The eggheads also [3]emitted a high-def video of [4]Hayabusa 2 descending on Ryugu last year: the probe touched down on the surface, "sampling horn" first, and fired a small bullet-like projectile to kick up some dust. That material was collected by the horn, and will be returned to Earth. We've shared a slightly lower-res version here:
[5]Youtube Video
Launched in 2014, [6]Hayabusa 2 carried multiple instruments, and deployed four rovers on Ryugu when it eventually reached the cosmic boulder. It is expected to return its asteroid samples to Earth in December. Scientists expect the dust particles will be made up of a mixture of the red and blue material. They will analyze it in more detail, looking for more evidence it was scorched by the Sun.
“We predict that the returned sample will contain a mix of altered and unaltered materials, with the former recording a solar heating event,” the team concluded. ®
Sponsored: [7]Forrester Build a Digital Experience Portfolio
[1] https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6491/654
[2] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/05/07/ryugu_colour.jpg
[3] https://science.sciencemag.org/content/suppl/2020/05/06/368.6491.654.DC1
[4] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/02/22/hayabusa_2/
[5] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/05/08/jaxa_ryugu_landing.mp4
[6] http://www.hayabusa2.jaxa.jp/en/
[7] https://go.theregister.co.uk/tl/1936/-8554/forrester-build-a-digital-experience-portfolio?td=wptl1936
The Great Japanese Bake Off
HildyJ
Here's wishing the samples a safe journey home (followed by the inevitable traveler's quarantine). I do wonder if other data has ruled out tholins as a possible cause of the reddening.
Sapporos all around for the boffins.
It Survived The Encounter, Bringing Home the Baked-On
That's what's wild. Well done!