Two Newly Discovered Asteroids Were Likely Part of Long Lost 'Planetary Embryos', Claim Scientists
A team of researchers has recently announced the discovery of two asteroids, with fascinating origins. Experts claim that these extraterrestrial bodies came from the early solar system, stated Space. The asteroids on which the study is based were located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Findings regarding the asteroids have been published in the journal Icarus.
The asteroids in focus are (246) Asporina and (4125) Lew Allen. Researchers claimed that these asteroids were parts of long-lost "planetary embryos." These structures were somewhere between planetesimals and planets in size. These compositions were found in large numbers during the early days of the solar system. Experts believe that these embryos played a prominent role in planetary formation.
The study claims that these asteroids were fragments of planetary embryos, after finding similarities in their spectral features and angrites. Angrites are one of the oldest identified meteorites that existed in the early solar system. These meteorites have unique isotopic signatures (containing oxygen, chromium, and magnesium isotope) and olivine-bearing basaltic minerals, as per researchers.
Past studies have claimed that angrites could have been part of an early planetary embryo. "We identified two large asteroids that show similar spectral features to angrites [some of the solar system's oldest meteorites, believed to have originated from planetesimals], suggesting these asteroids could be some of the most ancient remnants of an early-formed planet in the early solar system," Ben Rider-Stokes, a post-doctoral researcher at The Open University explained. "This provides evidence that angrites could indeed be linked to the debris of early planetary embryos, some of which may have contributed material to the terrestrial planets," he added.
For the study, researchers found the UV-Vis-NIR spectra of ten known angrites. In this method, the substance's reaction to light is examined. Different materials reflect and absorb light in different wavelengths. These actions formulate a unique spectrum, which researchers treat as a 'fingerprint' containing information about the material's composition. The gathered information was then compared with the spectra of 712 documented asteroids. "We have a wide collection of ancient meteorite samples with different chemistries, isotopic compositions, and mineralogies, these differences indicate separate parent bodies or parent asteroids or planets," said Rider.
Researchers initially found spectral similarities between angrites and asteroids named (246) Asporina, (4490) Bambery, (4125) Lew Allen, and (136617) 1994 CC. Further examinations indicated a more consistent alignment of (246) Asporina and (4125) Lew Allen, with quenched angrites and intermediate angrites. The orbital differences between the two asteroids indicated that both of them originated from different parent asteroids. Researchers are hopeful that future examinations of the asteroid will give them more answers regarding the role of such structures in planetary formation.
Researchers have long tried to find more samples of angrites to analyze, to know more about how the solar system and Earth came to be. The pursuit has been difficult due to a lack of specimens. "Angrites are a small group of ancient meteorites that formed within the first few million years of solar system history, recording information about the early solar system processes," said Rider. "Identifying the origin of these samples is therefore of key interest to identify an ancient asteroid that may be one of the earliest forming asteroids. [However,] resulting debris from their disruptions is not easily discernible in the modern-day solar system."