Grains of sand from ancient supernova found in meteorites: Supernova may have been the one that triggered the formation of the solar system
Monday, April 22, 2013 - 11:06
in Astronomy & Space
Scientists have discovered two tiny grains of silica (SiO2; the most common constituent of sand) in meteorites that fell to earth in Antarctica. Because of their isotopic composition these two grains are thought to be pure samples from a massive star that exploded before the birth of the solar system, perhaps the supernova whose explosion is thought to have triggered the collapse of a giant molecular cloud, giving birth to the Sun.