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Health & Science3h 17m ago
The Murchison meteorite contains grains of silicon carbide formed around 7 billion years ago, making them older than the Sun, Earth, or anything else in this solar system.
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Murchison, Victoria, Australia
Who
cosmochemist Philipp Heck, researchers at the Australian National University, ETH Zurich, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
What
The Murchison meteorite contains grains of silicon carbide formed around 7 billion years ago, making them older than the Sun, Earth, or anything else in this solar system.
When
Wed, 17 Jun 2026 03:10:14 GMT · 3h 17m ago
Where
Murchison, Victoria, Australia ·
Why
This presolar dust drifted through interstellar space for hundreds of millions of years before being swept into the cloud of gas and dust that would eventually collapse to form the Sun.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
These ancient stardust grains provide physical evidence for a burst of star formation in the Milky Way roughly 7 billion years ago, challenging previous assumptions about constant star formation rates. They represent the oldest solid material ever held, offering unique insights into the early universe and conditions preceding our solar system.
Story chain
6 events in this thread- Health & Science3h 17m agoThe Murchison meteorite, which fell in Victoria, Australia, in 1969, contains grains of silicon carbide formed around 7 billion years ago, predating the Sun by 2.5 billion years.Open article
- Health & Science3h 17m agoGrains of silicon carbide found in the Murchison meteorite, which fell in 1969, are 7 billion years old and are the oldest solid material ever held in a human hand.Open article
- Health & Science3h 17m agoIn 1969, a fireball broke over the Victorian town of Murchison and scattered carbon-rich stones across the paddocks, which contain grains of silicon carbide that condensed in dying stars roughly 7 billion years ago.Open article
- Health & Science3h 17m agoThe Murchison meteorite, which fell on an Australian town in 1969, contains grains of silicon carbide dating back roughly 7 billion years, making them older than the Sun and the most ancient solid material ever held in a human hand.Open article
- Currently Reading3h 17m agoThe Murchison meteorite contains grains of silicon carbide formed around 7 billion years ago, making them older than the Sun, Earth, or anything else in this solar system.
- Health & Science3h 17m agoGrains of stardust 7 billion years old, predating the Sun itself, were found inside the Murchison meteorite that fell in Victoria, Australia, in 1969.Open article