Ryugu Archives

(A) C1 clast containing numerous magnetite (white), pyrrhotite (light gray), and dolomite grains (dark gray). (B) C1 clast with numerous dolomites marked “D,” indicating the dolomite crystal where the FIB was cut (bottom, arrowed, and outlined in yellow). (C) Bright-field TEM image of the FIBed dolomite crystal. Numerous cracks are arrowed. (D) Na x-ray map of the same area as in (C). -- [Science Advances]

Brines Discovered In A Meteorite From A Primitive CM Asteroid

by Keith CowingJuly 26, 2026July 26, 2026

[Science Advances] The CI (Ivuna-type) carbonaceous material returned from asteroids Ryugu and Bennu contain mobilized sodium from the evaporation or freezing of liquid water into brines, shedding light on the […]

Offset comparison between the JWST spectral repository of PEC asteroids

Comets and Asteroids

The Polana-Eulalia Complex with JWST NIRSpec: Connections to Bennu, Ryugu, and Outer Solar System Bodies

by Keith CowingJuly 22, 2026July 22, 2026

[astro-ph.EP] Carbon rich [C complex] asteroids provide insight into the early Solar System, and families of C complex asteroids serve as robust samples for learning about the internal structure of […]

C1 clasts in Hillsborough: On the left is a back-scattered electron image with two C1 748 clasts circled. On the right, an X-ray map of the same area as (A), indicating Na enrichment in 749 of the C1 clasts relative to the bulk of Hillsborough. Credit: NASA/SETI

Meteorites & Asteroids

Pristine Meteorite Examination Adds To Our Knowledge Of Ancient Asteroids

by Keith CowingJuly 19, 2026July 19, 2026

[NASA] A meteorite recovered immediately upon its fall to Earth on July 16, 2024, is helping NASA scientists uncover new clues about ancient water, the chemical evolution of primitive asteroids, […]

OSIRIS_Rex taking a sample of Asteroid Bennu -- NASA

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Sample Return, Status Report

The Science From Asteroid Sample Return Missions

by Keith CowingApril 28, 2026April 28, 2026

To date, three samples from near-Earth asteroids have been delivered to Earth by Japan’s Hayabusa (2010) and Hayabusa2 (2020) missions, and the United States OSIRIS-REx mission (2023).

Scanning tunneling microscope image of a molecule from the Ryugu sample. b Atomic force microscope image acquired by the multi-pass method. c Processed image of (b). Ring structure is overlaid. The colors are the same as in Fig. 1, but orange represents an eight-membered ring. Red arrows in (a, b) indicate a single CO molecule. The scale bars are 1 nm. -- Nature Communications

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Sample Return

Discovery Of Unexpectedly Large Organic Molecules from Asteroid Ryugu

by Keith CowingApril 15, 2026April 15, 2026

Overview Using a high-resolution atomic force microscope ( AFM ), we directly observed the skeletal structures of individual organic molecules extracted from the Ryugu sample. We discovered numerous gigantic organic […]

[LEFT] Nano-FTIR measurement of Region 1 (belonging to the aliphatic-rich cluster). Color-coded nano-FTIR spectra (A) of spots shown in the SNOM topography (B), optical amplitude (C), and mechanical amplitude (D) images. [RIGHT] Region 2 (also belonging to the aliphatic-rich cluster). -- PNAS

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report

Nanoscale Infrared Spectroscopy Reveals Complex Organic–mineral Assemblages In Asteroid Bennu

by Keith CowingApril 14, 2026April 14, 2026

Asteroid Bennu preserves primitive material from the early solar system, and returned samples allow direct examination of how organics and minerals were assembled and altered. We applied nanoscale infrared spectroscopy […]

Chemical processes in molecular clouds, such as grain-surface reactions and reactions in the gas phase, yield fundamental molecules, such as water, methanol, and ammonia. After experiencing further processes induced by energetic particles such as vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photons and cosmic rays in the pre- or protosolar nebula stage, as well as (hydro)thermal events occurring on Solar System bodies after their formation, further complex organic molecules, such as those found in Bennu, Ryugu, and carbonaceous meteorites, may have been synthesized. (Image credit: NAOJ, NASA).

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Sample Return, Status Report

Distribution Of Extraterrestrial Nucleobases, Other N-heterocycles, And Their Precursors In A Sample From Asteroid Bennu

by Keith CowingApril 8, 2026April 8, 2026

The recent discovery of all five canonical nucleobases in samples from Bennu provides compelling evidence that some of life’s ingredients were synthesized abiotically in the parent body of this asteroid […]

Microscope images of Ryugu samples collected from the first and second landing sites of the Hayabusa2 mission, respectively. Credit: Jaxa/Jamstec

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Press Release

All DNA/RNA Nucleobases Are Found On Asteroid Ryugu

by Keith CowingMarch 16, 2026June 11, 2026

Samples from the asteroid Ryugu collected and returned to Earth by the Japanese Hayabusa 2 mission contain all five nitrogenous bases—adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, and uracil—that make up nucleic acids, […]

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

Hayabusa2 Asteroid Samples Offer New Insights Into Conditions When The Solar System Formed

by Keith CowingMarch 4, 2026March 4, 2026

To uncover the history of our solar system, it is necessary to study the dynamic evolution of the ancient solar nebula materials.

(Left) North and (right) south polar azimuthal equidistant projection enhanced color-composite maps, , with the blue, green, and red channels assigned to the ul-band, v-band, and p-band. The circumference is the equator. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report

Bundle Adjustment Of Hayabusa2’s ONC Images And Controlled Color Mosaic Map Of Ryugu

by Keith CowingMarch 3, 2026March 3, 2026

JAXA’s Hayabusa2 mission successfully returned samples from the asteroid Ryugu in December 2020. It executed two touchdowns to collect the surface and subsurface materials, one close to the crater created […]