Scientists Identify 7-Billion-Year-Old Stardust in Murchison Meteorite

3 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Jun 18

Philipp Heck’s team found presolar silicon carbide grains in the Murchison meteorite dating back as far as 7 billion years, making them the oldest solid material yet identified on Earth.
40 grains were dated by measuring neon isotopes created during billions of years of exposure to galactic cosmic rays before the dust was locked inside the meteorite.
Most grains clustered around 4.6 to 4.9 billion years old—still older than the Sun—while only a smaller subset reached the 7-billion-year extreme.
More than 100 kilograms of the carbon-rich meteorite were recovered after its witnessed 1969 fall near Murchison, Australia, helping make it one of the world’s most studied meteorites.
The grains likely condensed in outflows from dying stars, and their age pattern may hint at a burst of star formation in the Milky Way about 7 billion years ago.

Sources

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7.5-Billion-Year-Old Stardust: How Ancient Presolar Grains from the Murchison Meteorite Are Rewriting the History of Our Solar System and Life’s Origins

Overview

In 2020, Philipp Heck's team at the Field Museum discovered the oldest solid material ever found on Earth—presolar grains up to 7.5 billion years old—inside the Murchison meteorite. This meteorite, which fell in Australia in 1969 and scattered thousands of fragments, is rich in organic compounds like amino acids. The ancient grains, preserved in this pristine meteorite, offer a unique glimpse into the universe before our solar system formed. Their study, published in a leading scientific journal, helps scientists understand the early history of our galaxy and the origins of the elements that make up planets and life.

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