Icy Planetesimals: The Chilling Secret Behind Earth’s Water
A study has shown that water-rich planetesimals formed in the cold outer reaches of the early solar system were instrumental in supplying Earth with water,…
Meteorites News
Meteorites are solid pieces of debris from objects such as asteroids or comets that originate in outer space and survive their passage through the Earth’s atmosphere to reach the ground. These extraterrestrial materials provide invaluable information about the early solar system’s conditions and the processes that led to the formation of planetary bodies. Meteorites are classified into three main types: stony meteorites, which are made up of minerals rich in silicon and oxygen; iron meteorites, which consist largely of metallic iron-nickel; and stony-iron meteorites, which contain both metallic and rocky materials. Scientists study meteorites to gain insights into the composition of other planets and the history of collisions and material exchange in the solar system. Additionally, certain meteorites have shown to contain organic compounds, offering clues about the potential pathways for the development of life on Earth.
Dartboard or Doughnut? Iron Meteorites Reveal Shape of Our Infant Solar System
Fragments from the early cosmos help unravel the mystery of our solar system’s birth. Iron meteorites are remnants of the metallic cores of the earliest…
Mars Quakes Reveal Daily Meteor Bombardments on the Red Planet
An international research team has estimated that Mars is hit by 280 to 360 large meteorites annually, based on seismic data from NASA’s InSight Mission….
Meteorite Mayhem: How NASA InSight’s Seismic Data Is Rewriting Martian History
Seismic signals indicate Mars gets hit by around 300 basketball-sized meteorites every year, providing a new tool for dating planetary surfaces. Scientists involved in NASA’s…
When Giants Moved: Tracing Planetary Shifts That Formed the Moon
Researchers from the University of Leicester have linked the shift of the Solar System’s giant planets 60-100 million years after its formation to the creation…
Decoding the Red Planet’s Structure: Insights From Martian Meteorites
Research on Martian meteorites reveals unique geological insights into Mars’ crust and mantle, aiding our understanding of the planet’s volcanic and atmospheric history. Mars has…
Rare Dust Particle From Ancient Extraterrestrial Meteorite Challenges Astrophysical Models
In a groundbreaking discovery published in the prestigious Astrophysical Journal, scientists have identified a rare dust particle lodged within an ancient extraterrestrial meteorite, shedding new…
Unprecedented Find in Meteorite Challenges Astrophysical Models
Scientists have discovered a meteorite particle with an unprecedented magnesium isotopic ratio, indicating its origin from a hydrogen burning supernova. Research has discovered a rare…
The Race To Save Antarctica’s Meteorites From Climate Change
Antarctica harbors numerous large meteorite concentrations at its surface, and as such, the icy continent contains an unparalleled wealth of information on our Solar System,…
Melting Away History: How Climate Change Is Erasing Our Cosmic Heritage
Using artificial intelligence, satellite observations, and climate model projections, a team of researchers from Switzerland and Belgium calculate that for every tenth of a degree…
Cosmic Building Blocks of Life Discovered – Scientists Perform First Chemical-Free Analysis of Extraterrestrial Amino Acids in Winchcombe Meteorite
A research team has analyzed extraterrestrial amino acids and other organic compounds in an English meteorite fall for the first time without using any chemical…
Analysis of Organic Compounds Extracted From Ryugu Asteroid Opens New Possibilities in Extraterrestrial Life Search
The examination of organic compounds known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), obtained from the Ryugu asteroid and Murchison meteorite, reveals that some PAHs probably originated…
Space Rocks to Life Blocks: Meteorites Likely Source of Nitrogen for Early Earth
Kyoto-Hawai’i team reveals results of study from Ryugu samples. Micrometeorites originating from icy celestial bodies in the outer Solar System may be responsible for transporting…
Magnet Mayhem: How Meteorite Hunters Accidentally Destroy Scientific Goldmines
A new study shows that simple hand magnets erase a meteorite’s magnetic memory. A new MIT study reveals that hand magnets, commonly used by meteorite…
The Far-Flung Origin of Life’s Building Blocks: Researchers Uncover “Completely Unexpected” Findings
Imperial College London researchers have discovered the probable distant origin of Earth’s volatile chemicals, some of which form the building blocks of life, through the…
Scientists Discover Vast Diversity of Organic Compounds in Martian Meteorite
Tissint, a Martian meteorite that plummeted to Earth and crash-landed in Morocco over 11 years ago, is one of only five such meteorites that have…
Meteorite Hunters Discover Extraordinary 17-Pound Space Rock in Antarctica
Antarctica is a tough place to work, for obvious reasons— it’s bitterly cold, remote, and wild. However, it’s one of the best places in the…
“Building Blocks of Life” Discovered in Meteorite That Crash Landed in England
New research has been published on the organic analysis of the Winchcombe meteorite which crashed landed onto a driveway in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, England in 2021….