- Mar 17, 2015
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Ah. Asteroid rocks are understood in general solar system formation theory to have all formed about the same time as the planets did, about 4.5bn years ago.When I first heard of this whole thing.. The interviewee.... was stating that this was why it was so so so important that they get the sample from this asteroid.. "Because it is some of the oldest material in the universe and will help them figure out how it all started..."
Can't remember where I heard it.. probably talk radio interview.... don't know the guy's name.. some NASA employee or whatever that is Canadian but doing work in Canada for NASA.. or a company that is contracted by NASA....
Anyway... that's where I heard the claim..
But, the heavier than hydrogen level dust from which the asteroid rocks (and planets) formed will itself be made in previous generations of large short-lived stars. By stellar fusion and supernovae.
So, those atoms are close to the age of the Milky Way galaxy itself, which is getting up there closer to the age of the universe. But...that only makes the atoms of typical age, not older. They'd be just typically old atoms, from the early large stars, I'd expect. Not really older than other typical heavy atoms, unless there is some exceptional reason to think they are unusual instead of typical.
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