Scientists studying samples from the asteroid Bennu have found that it contains a remarkable mix of materials — some of which formed long before the sun even existed.

Taken together, the findings, described in a trio of recently published papers, show how Bennu has preserved clues about the earliest days of our solar system.

"It's very fascinating to see that Bennu is a time capsule of the material that was throughout the solar system in the really, really early stages of our solar system," Pierre Haenecour of the University of Arizona, who analyzed the samples for presolar grains and co-authored the new studies, told Space.com in a recent interview.

The samples, which were scooped up by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft during a brief yet dramatic touchdown on Bennu in 2020, contain dust th

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