Why these asteroid photos are baffling scientists
Images from an asteroid have left scientists baffled after they spotted a notable absence of an element from its surface.
Photos from Ryugu, which is drifting through space close to Earth, displayed a dry and rocky exterior but an uncharacteristic lack of dust.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Hayabusa2 spacecraft landed its Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout, or MASCOT, on the asteroid in October last year.
Photographs taken as the device came in for landing showed a surface of dark and rough rocks, in contrast to others that were bright and smooth.
Scientists said the difference in surfaces could have been the result of leftover rubble coming together after its parent body was struck.
But still experts were left puzzled over what could have rid the 914 metre-wide asteroid of dust, with them considering the possibility a secondary mechanism was to blame.
They think other materials in space, seismic shaking or the migration of boulders could have affected the dust on the asteroid’s exterior.
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