
Published recently in Nature, this study is part of a trio of published papers based on analysis of Bennu samples by worldwide experts, including Michelle Thompson. Together, the research shows that Bennu is a mixture of materials from across and even beyond our solar system, whose unique and varied contents have been transformed by interactions with water and space weathering.
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It’s great research, but the post title exaggerates things. The asteroids don’t shine red or blue, it’s just a reference to their spectral slope- how much light of different wavelengths the body reflects. Most asteroids barely reflect any light to begin with- Bennu’s albedo is around [0.046](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021Icar..35514133G/abstract), for example, similar to fresh asphalt- but they might reflect a tiny bit more at either longer or shorter wavelengths. So when an asteroid is described as “red” or “blue”, it might be better to imagine a color as black as tar with just the smallest hint of red, or a slight whisper of blue… but to the human eye, it’s just basically that deep, dark gray.