Meteorite dust holds records of magnetism that may have helped form the sun
Around 4.6 billion years ago, the solar system was little more than a giant ball of gas and dust. Over the next few million years, this "solar nebula" underwent a huge transformation, flattening into a disk of matter that then condensed to form the central sun and orbiting planets.
Around 4.6 billion years ago, the solar system was a collection of gas and dust orbiting a young star. Scientists believed this solar nebula transformed into a flat disk of matter, which later condensed to form the sun and planets. While gravity was thought to primarily drive this transformation, a new study suggests magnetism played a crucial role as well.
MIT researchers analyzed ancient magnetic records found in meteorite samples, known as calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs). These grains formed during the solar system's first 200,000 years, making them the oldest known material from our solar system. The magnetic fields detected in these CAIs indicate a stronger nebular magnetic field than Earth's today, likely aiding in the assembly of the early sun and planets.
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