Detection of never-before-seen 'pre-solar particles' falling in Antarctica

A speck of dust from an ancient meteorite that fell on Antarctica is described as "coming from a rather unusual place in space-time" .

According to Science Alert, what scientists found in a meteorite in Antarctica is a small mineral grain called olivine , but it is a strange, never-before-seen type of olivine.

Olivine is a type of silicate containing magnesium and iron, quite common on and off Earth. But the isotopic composition of this meteorite's olivine is so strange that it could only have been created by another star, which died before the Sun was born.

An ancient star exploded into a supernova, shooting material across the universe including strange olivine grains found in Antarctic meteorites - (Graphic image)

Therefore, it is the representative of "legendary" pre-solar particles , extremely rare.

Presolar grains are minerals that have been mentioned a lot in astronomical theory, and are rare remnants of ancient stars , billions of years older than the Sun.

It can tell us about different stellar environments within the galaxy and the different types of worlds that might form around that star.

Space geologist Nicole Nevill from the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston (USA) led the discovery of these particles in the Antarctic meteorite using atomic probe tomography techniques.

This shows that the particle has a different magnesium isotope ratio than anything else in the solar system . This magnesium isotope ratio is the highest of any known particle, and must have been produced by some type of star - which then went supernova - burning hydrogen.

The meteorite containing this treasure itself is also very ancient , having been found in Antarctica in the late 1970s.

It is a carbonaceous chondrite meteorite formed in the early days of the Solar System, accidentally catching dust particles from an ancient supernova in its wake.

Its landing in Antarctica was a blessing for humanity, because it accidentally kept a "ticket" to the mysterious space-time region before the Sun appeared.