The current scientific consensus is that Ryugu arose from the debris left behind
Previously, the researchers obtained rock samples from the asteroid Ryugu, based on this information, they made several conclusions:
- The asteroid is made up of piles of rocks, small chunks of rock and solid material brought together by gravity.
- It has the shape of a top, as it was deformed due to rapid rotation.
- Ryugu has a surprisingly high organic matter content.
The third fact again raises the question of howan asteroid formed. In an attempt to answer this question, a research team led by Associate Professor Hitoshi Miura from Nagoya City University, Japan, proposed their theory, supported by a simple physical model.
The authors of the new work believe that Ryugu, likesimilar asteroids may actually be the remnants of extinct comets. To test their hypothesis, the research team conducted numerical simulations using a simple physical model.
Comets are small bodies thatare formed in the outer, colder regions of the solar system. They are mainly composed of ice and rocks. If a comet enters the inner solar system—the space bounded by the asteroid belt—heat from solar radiation causes the ice to sublimate and disappear. As a result, only rocky fragments remain, which are compacted under the influence of gravity.
The team calculated the time needed tosublimation of ice, as well as the process of increasing speed. The results of their analysis showed that Ryugu was probably an active comet for several tens of thousands of years, and then fell into the inner asteroid belt, where it lost all the ice due to high temperatures.
This idea corresponds to all the features of the externalspecies of Ryugu, the authors note. As a result of these events, the comet's nucleus may begin to rotate at such a speed that it will look like a top, they note.
The authors hope that a detailed analysis of the Ryugu rock samples will shed light on these questions.
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