Chaos Reigned in Early Solar System
Scientists used radioactive isotopes to determine the age of some solar system asteroids by sampling meteorites and discovered a chaotic early history.
Here in our own star system, astronomers and planetary scientists continue to work toward understanding how planets formed and how the system evolved over time. One of the more useful objects for this kind of research is the humble asteroid. When not actively threatening our existence, asteroids provide us with a snapshot of the early days of our solar system.
In a new study in Nature Astronomy, scientists used radioactive isotopes to determine the age of some of these asteroids by sampling meteorites. As lead author, Alison Hunt notes: Previous scientific studies showed that asteroids in the solar system have remained relatively unchanged since their formation, billions of years ago. They, therefore, are an archive, in which the conditions of the early solar system are preserved.
The analysis process is kind of amazing. When the metallic cores of asteroids formed, they were heated by radioactive decay. The team took samples of meteorites — rocks from space — dissolved them to better isolate elements such as silver, platinum, and palladium, and then measured the isotope abundance of…
