Scientists have analyzed one of the oldest space rocks ever discovered. The data could reveal secrets about the solar system in its infancy during the birth of the planets and also help scientists better determine the ages of the oldest meteorites that fall to Earth.
The 4.6-billion-year-old Erg Chech 002 meteorite, which is encrusted with green crystals, was discovered in the Erg Chech region of the Sahara Desert in Algeria in 2020.
Meteorites like this are believed to have formed from material in a disk of gas and dust around the infant sun. Cold, dense patches of this "solar nebula" collapsed to birth the planets, but leftover material formed comets and asteroids from which meteors break away, often finding their way to the surface of Earth in the form of meteorites. This means that meteorites can paint a picture of the elements that served as the building blocks of the planet.
Source: www.space.com
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