Antarctic meteorite reveals the birth of the Sun
A meteorite found in Antarctica preserves traces of a magnetic field from the early days of our solar system. Tiny mineral grains show that magnetism may have played an important role in the formation of the Sun as far back as around 4.6 billion years ago.
The DOM 08006 meteorite was discovered in 2008 in the Dominion Range on the edge of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. It is one of the most primitive meteorites known and has undergone very little change over billions of years.
An international research team, including scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), investigated calcium-aluminium-rich inclusions (CAIs) within the meteorite. These formed during the first 200,000 years or so of the Solar System’s existence and are amongst its oldest known materials.
Magnetic memory dating back 4.6 billion years
The mineral grains appear to have stored the magnetic field of the solar gas and dust cloud that existed at that time. The researchers determined a field strength of around 150 to 600 microtesla, approximately three to twelve times stronger than today’s Earth’s magnetic field.
The results suggest that, in addition to gravity, magnetic fields also influenced the formation of the Solar System. They may have facilitated the transport of gas through the protoplanetary disc towards the young Sun.
Antarctica as an archive of the Solar System
Meteorites are particularly easy to spot on the bright ice surfaces of Antarctica. At the same time, they are often exceptionally well-preserved in the cold, dry environment.
DOM 08006 is an exceptionally pristine specimen. This small stone from the Antarctic ice thus provides clues to processes that took place long before the Earth existed.
The study ‘Paleomagnetic evidence for a nebular magnetic field from calcium-aluminium-rich inclusions’ was published in 2026 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research was supported by NASA, amongst others.
Heiner Kubny, PolarJournal
