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 dust particle trapped in an ancient extra-terrestrial meteorite that was formed by a star other than our sun.
The discovery was made by lead author Dr. Nicole Nevill and colleagues during her PhD studies at Curtin University, now working at the Lunar and Planetary Science Institute in collaboration with
Meteorites and Presolar Grains
Meteorites are mostly made up of material that formed in our solar system and can also contain tiny particles that originate from stars born long before our sun.
Clues that these particles, known as presolar grains, are relics from other stars are found by analyzing the different types of elements inside them.
Innovative Analytical Techniques
Dr. Nevill used a technique called
“The atom probe has given us a whole level of detail that we haven’t been able to access in previous studies,” Dr. Saxey said.
“Hydrogen burning supernova is a type of star that has only been discovered recently, around the same time as we were analyzing the tiny dust particle. The use of the atom probe in this study, gives a new level of detail helping us understand how these stars formed.”
Linking Lab Findings to Cosmic Phenomena
Co-author Professor Phil Bland, from Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences said new discoveries from studying rare particles in meteorites are enabling us to gain insights into cosmic events beyond our solar system.
“It is simply amazing to be able to link atomic-scale measurements in the lab to a recently discovered type of star.”
The research titled “Atomic-scale Element and Isotopic Investigation of 25Mg-rich Stardust from an H-burning Supernova” was published in the DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ad2996