Bennu samples point to a mixed origin in the early Solar System
Tiny samples collected from asteroid Bennu are providing new evidence about how the Solar System formed. Researchers say Bennu likely originated in a region where materials from both the inner and outer Solar System came together, rather than forming in a more isolated environment.
The samples also suggest that Jupiter played a significant role in shaping Bennu’s formation. By influencing the movement and distribution of material in the early Solar System, the planet may have helped create the mixed environment in which Bennu developed.
These findings offer a more detailed view of the processes that assembled the Solar System and may help researchers understand the origins of other small bodies, including those that could eventually reach Earth.