Solar system has candy floss heart
Scientists made the discovery after analysis of a meteorite fragment from the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars.
The "carbonaceous chondrite" fragment was originally formed in the early solar system when microscopic dust motes gathered around larger, one-millimetre grain particles.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe findings, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, show that the first solid material in the solar system was fragile and highly porous - like candy floss.
Scientists believe that the Sun and its planets formed from a cloud of dust and gas in which clumps gradually appeared due to the force of gravity.
Dr Phil Bland, from Imperial College London, said: "Our study makes us even more convinced than before that the early carbonaceous chondrite rocks were shaped by the turbulent nebula through which they travelled billions of years ago."