Ancient Meteorite: Magnetic Fields Shaped Our Solar System

Magnetic fields may have played a crucial role in shaping our solar system, influencing the collapse of gas clouds and the formation of the protoplanetary disk even before the Sun fully coalesced. This is suggested by an analysis of the oldest matter particles preserved within an Antarctic meteorite. Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) focused their research on calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) found in the DOM 08006 meteorite. These CAIs are considered the oldest objects in the solar system, having formed within the first 200,000 years of its existence. Unlocking Magnetic History To probe the distant past, the researchers employed paleomagnetism. Certain minerals within CAIs act as natural recorders, capturing the parameters of the surrounding magnetic field at the moment of crystallization or during intense heating events. The DOM 08006 meteorite was specifically chosen for its remarkable preservation; over 4.5 billion years, it has undergone minimal chemical and physical alteration, allowing the original magnetic "imprint" to remain intact.