But arguably, it's the ugly duckling, ancient asteroids that are providing us with a better understanding of how our solar system ... of 42 of the largest bodies in the main asteroid belt.

The sample of rocks and dust—the largest ever collected from an asteroid—could help scientists better understand our solar system. Photo: NASA/EPA/Shutterstock ...

Two asteroids in the main asteroid ... days of our cosmic neighborhood. "We identified two large asteroids that show similar spectral features to angrites [some of the solar system's oldest ...