Manashimaya
Asteroids are more than just wandering space rocks—they hold clues to the early solar system. In a remarkable breakthrough, scientists at Kyoto University have detected salt minerals in samples from asteroid Ryugu, suggesting it may have once harbored liquid water.
Ryugu, a 900-meter-wide asteroid, was once part of a larger parent body that formed around 4.5 billion years ago. Researchers found sodium carbonate, halite, and sodium sulfates—minerals that form in saline water. This hints that Ryugu’s parent body once had warm, liquid water due to heat from radioactive decay. Over time, the water vanished, leaving behind salt crystals.
This discovery is crucial because these minerals are highly water-soluble and rarely survive Earth’s atmosphere. Their presence confirms that Ryugu once had a watery past. Scientists believe similar salts may exist on Ceres, Saturn’s moon Enceladus, and Jupiter’s Europa and Ganymede—places suspected to have subsurface oceans.
Understanding water’s role in asteroid evolution helps scientists piece together the puzzle of planetary formation and the potential for life beyond Earth. As research continues, Ryugu’s salt deposits may provide new insights into the ancient, hidden oceans of our solar system.
