Ryugu micrometeorites (IMAGE)
Caption
(A) Magnetite particles found in samples from the asteroid Ryugu. The magnetite grains have a round shape because they grew in water flowed in the asteroid. The surface of magnetite is very porous, and this feature is only seen on surfaces exposed to the harsh space environment.
(B) A cross-section image of the round magnetite. The distribution of elements is shown by RGB composite image of oxygen (red), iron (green) and silicon (blue) on the left and that of sulfur (red), nitrogen (green) and magnesium (blue) on the right. A layer rich in iron and nitrogen is observed on the surface (shown in green). Iron nitride covers a thickness of just a few tens of nanometers on the very surface of magnetite.
Credit
KyotoU/Toru Matsumoto
Usage Restrictions
None
License
Original content