Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Samples from Ryugu reveal salt minerals, hinting at a watery past and reshaping our understanding of space chemistry.
Researchers found sodium-rich salt crystals, suggesting liquid water once flowed through Ryugu’s ancient parent body.
Salt deposits indicate that Ryugu’s water either evaporated or froze, leaving behind mineralized clues of its past.
The discovery links Ryugu to other icy worlds, like Ceres and Europa, that may still hold liquid water.
Formed 4.5 billion years ago, Ryugu’s minerals offer a rare glimpse into the solar system’s early chemistry.
Ryugu’s sodium carbonate and halite match deposits found on ocean-bearing moons, fueling astrobiological curiosity.
Delicate salt minerals, preserved in vacuum-sealed samples, suggest asteroid water chemistry was once highly saline.
By studying Ryugu, scientists gain insights into the role of briny water in planetary evolution beyond Earth.
Salt minerals on Ryugu may hint at the same chemical processes that shaped habitability on distant worlds.