Meteorite challenges old ideas about our solar system's formation
A tiny meteorite found in Northwest Africa just changed the story of our solar system.
Scientists now say the inner and outer planets actually formed at the same time—not one after the other like we thought.
The meteorite NWA 12264
The meteorite, NWA 12264, came from way beyond Jupiter and is about 4.56 billion years old—the same age as rocks closer to the Sun.
Its unique chemical "fingerprints" prove it's from far out in space, which challenges old ideas that outer planets formed later because things were colder out there.
Findings could change how we look for new planets
Researchers from The Open University believe planet-building happened all across our solar system at once, not in slow stages.
Their findings could even change how we look for new planets around other stars—showing that cosmic surprises can come from the smallest rocks.