These grains may even come from the same star explosion that sparked the formation of the solar system, scientists say.
Both meteorites were found in Antarctica, and appear to date from
before the solar system was born 4.6 billion years ago. Each contains a
single grain of silica (SiO2, which is the main ingredient of
sand). The chemical signature of these grains is identical, and
extremely rare — so rare, in fact, that scientists suspect both grains
came from a single supernova. This type of
supernova occurs when a massive star runs out of fuel for nuclear fusion and collapses in on itself in a giant explosion.