Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2025 February 12

         IFRAME: [2]https://www.youtube.com/embed/ukCSRYcjSQw?rel=0

              Asteroid Bennu Holds the Building Blocks of Life
   Video Credit: Data: [3]NASA, [4]SVS, [5]U. Arizona, [6]CSA, [7]York U.,
     [8]MDA; Visualizer: [9]Kel Elkins (lead, SVS); Text: Ogetay Kayali
                           ([10]Michigan Tech U.)

   Explanation: What can a space rock tell us about life on Earth?
   [11]NASA's [12]OSIRIS-REx spacecraft [13]made a careful approach to the
   near-Earth asteroid [14]101955 Bennu in [15]October of 2020 to collect
   surface samples. In September 2023, the robotic spaceship [16]returned
   these samples to Earth. A recent [17]analysis has [18]shown,
   surprisingly, that the samples contained 14 out of the 20 known
   [19]amino acids that are the essential building blocks of life. The
   presence of the amino acids re-introduces a big question: Could life
   have originated in space? However, the protein building blocks
   themselves held another surprise -- [20]they contained an even mixture
   of [21]left-handed and right-handed amino acids -- in contrast to our
   Earth which only has left-handed ones. This raises another big
   question: [22]Why does life on Earth have only left-handed amino acids?
   Research on this is [23]sure to continue.

                Tomorrow's picture: interstellar dust clouds
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [35]Robert Nemiroff ([36]MTU) & [37]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([38]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [39]Specific rights apply.
            [40]NASA Web Privacy, [41]Accessibility, [42]Notices;
                A service of: [43]ASD at [44]NASA / [45]GSFC,
                         [46]NASA Science Activation
                           & [47]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://www.youtube.com/embed/ukCSRYcjSQw?rel=0
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/
   5. https://astro.arizona.edu/
   6. https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronomy/
   7. https://www.yorku.ca/science/physics/
   8. https://mda.space/article/instrument-built-by-maxar-technologies-mda-for-nasas
   9. https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/bio/kelly.elkins
  10. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/
  11. https://www.nasa.gov/
  12. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/osiris-rex/
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap201012.html
  14. https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/asteroids/101955-bennu/
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap201022.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230929.html
  17. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08495-6
  18. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-024-02472-9
  19. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amino_acid
  20. https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasas-asteroid-bennu-sample-reveals-mix-of-lifes-ingredients/
  21. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chirality
  22. https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/news/how-life-turned-left/
  23. https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/comments/fd55vk/my_kitten_is_helping_me_work_from_home_i_had_to/#lightbox
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250211.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  28. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  30. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  33. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250212
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250213.html
  35. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  36. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  37. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  38. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  39. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  43. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  44. https://www.nasa.gov/
  45. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  46. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  47. http://www.mtu.edu/