Scientists pinpoint when our solar system's giant planet Jupiter formed
Scientists have figured out that Jupiter—our solar system's giant—formed about 4.6 billion years ago.
They discovered this by analyzing chondrules, which are tiny molten droplets found in meteorites that landed on Earth, offering a snapshot of Jupiter's early days.
What are chondrules?
Chondrules are small beads of rock created when water-rich space rocks smashed into each other at high speeds, thanks to Jupiter's growing gravity.
These droplets cooled off quickly and got trapped inside asteroids before eventually falling to Earth as meteorites.
Research helps us understand how giant planets form
By studying the size and cooling rates of these chondrules—and running computer simulations—researchers confirmed that Jupiter's gravity sparked these ancient collisions.
The timing lines up with when Jupiter was rapidly gaining gas, just 1.8 million years after the solar system formed.
Besides nailing down when Jupiter was born, this research helps us understand how giant planets form both here and around other stars.