Meteorite yields clues to solar system’s formation

Space.com : A pea-sized piece of the Allende meteorite that crashed in Mexico in 1969 is helping astronomers better understand the early days of our solar system and could shed light on planet-formation processes in general. The sample they looked at was a calcium-aluminum-rich inclusion; scientists believe such inclusions were among the first solids to condense from the swirl of gas and dust as the planets were forming. By measuring the concentrations of two different oxygen isotopes in the various layers—oxygen-16 and oxygen-17 varied from place to place while the solar system was forming—the team learned much about the inclusion’s travels. The team reports its results today in Science.