New Meteorite Study Reveals How The Solar System Was Formed

Researchers from the University of California studying meteorites revealed new violent pieces of the puzzle of the early days of our solar system.

A new paper on meteorites says scientists have discovered pieces of the puzzle on how the solar system was formed. Asteroids and meteorites have gotten more and more attention in recent years. Missions to asteroids and meteorite studies have long tried to solve the big questions of life.

Asteroids and meteorites are remnants of the early days of our solar system. They are also believed to seed planets with ocean waters and organic material. NASA recently launched the Lucy mission to a collection of rocks known as the Trojan asteroids. NASA calls these rocks time-capsules that have the key to unlocking the origins of our system.

A new study of scientists of the University of Chicago studied meteorite materials and concluded they revealed the conditions of the early solar system and how it was formed. Scientists specifically focused on tiny beads of glass that have haunted every scientist that has looked into a meteorite using a microscope. The study says the beads were formed by a combination of extreme heat and rapid descending temperatures.

A Snapshot Billions Of Years Ago Of Our Solar System

Nicole Xike Nie, lead author of the study said “meteorites are snapshots that can reveal the conditions this early dust experienced, which has implications for the evolution of both Earth and other planets.” According to the study, billions of years ago when the solar system was forming, planets were superheated and dust flew all over, grouping and forming new celestial bodies. As meteorite material flew close to the extremely hot large planets they were shocked-waved and melted. Later as they moved away into colder regions of space temperatures dropped at rapid rates of up to 500 Celsius per hour vaporizing, condensing, and fusing the tiny glass beads.

Scientists of the University of Chicago described these extreme heating and cooling events as “sudden and violent.” Tiny glass beads are known as chondrules and theories used to believe they were formed by collisions or lighting. This new evidence tips the balance toward shockwaves. The shockwave phenomenon could also provide an answer to another unsolved mystery. Scientists know that the Earth has less volatile elements like potassium and rubidium than it is supposed to have. The deficit of volatile elements on Earth “could be explained by a complex chain of heating and cooling, but no one knows the exact sequence,” the study says. This new snapshot of large burning hot planets and deep cold space reveals a celestial factory that like forging a sword, orbit to orbit, forged our solar system.