Wednesday, January 10, 2018

What the heck is Hypatia?

So, there's a little rock in Egypt causing all kinds of fun. Why? Because it doesn't match the natural composition of anything in the solar system.

Nicknamed Hypatia, it has pure aluminum (extremely rare in the solar system), compounds that appear to predate the sun (and compounds that don't)!

It's a meteorite, that much we know, but from where?

If it's from the solar system...and doesn't predate the sun...then it may challenge planetary formation theories again.

Alternatively, it could be just that old.

Or it could even have originated in another solar system with a different stellar composition.

Who knows. Funny how a little rock can cause so much trouble.

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