This strange iron meteorite may hold the key to unraveling the secrets of the solar system.

Strange iron meteorite currently being studied could help unravel the mystery secrets of the early solar system. A team of scientists in Ukraine studied it in detail, discovering the orbit it was in before it hit Earth in 2020. This is the first space guest with such characteristics, which has undergone such a study.

It should be noted that meteorites made from this material are unusual and they make up only 2% of the rocks that reach us from space. Therefore, this find is of great value to astronomers. In this case, according to Spaceit is an object weighing 14 kg and 30 centimeters long.

Experts note that iron meteorites are fragments of metal cores that melted into the core of planetesimals, small solid bodies that existed about 4.5 billion years ago. It is believed that they came together in the distant past to form the planets, including Earth. The study of these elements is fascinating, as they can provide valuable information about infancy of the solar system.

An iron meteorite that tells the story of the universe

The object under study arrived on our planet on November 7, 2020, landing in Sweden. At the same time, witnesses of their arrival saw shocking glowing ball which illuminated the sky before falling to the earth’s surface.

But what exactly is a meteorite? These are small space rocks whose body changes as it passes through the atmosphere. The fragments of these rocks that reach the Earth’s surface are called meteorites.

Jaakko Visuri, an analyst at the Finnish Fireball Network, noted that the aforementioned iron meteorite offers great research opportunities. “This is the first object of its kind that gives us the opportunity to study its pre-atmospheric trajectory,” he said in a statement. “This is a unique opportunity to study its mechanism and find iron-rich deposits in the solar system,” he added.

As part of this, a team from Kharkiv National University in Ukraine also took advantage of the object’s presence here on Earth. In 2020, an investigation was launched led by specialist Irina Belskaya in order to study metal-rich asteroids, precursors to meteorites like the one that hit Sweden. They now report a number of relevant findings.

An unprecedented exam to learn about our solar system and plan space travel.

A careful study of the iron meteorite by a group led by Belskaya leads to the following valuable data:

• In an unprecedented move, scientists have managed to gather clues about the processes that led to their formation. This would help determine how chemical resources are distributed in the solar system.
• In addition, these studies will plan future space missions look for asteroids rich in metals. These are very valuable objects in the lucrative field of space mining.
• How big is the potential of this sector? While minerals are limited on our planet, they are inexhaustible in space. One case is telling: According to NASA, the asteroid Przyce 16 alone, which orbits between Mars and Jupiter, has a value of about $10,000 trillion due to its gold, iron and nickel reserves.
• Finally, a better prediction of the behavior of these objects would help limit the orbits of other asteroids. This will have serious implications for planetary defense, whose plans are already underway – NASA’s DART mission highlighted – which are designed to deflect the trajectory of objects potentially dangerous to Earth.

“For the first time, we have data on the trajectory of an iron meteorite,” said researcher Maraja Gritsevich of the Finnish Geospatial Institute. In this regard, the specialist added that this survey “reveals the celestial paths that he passed before getting to our planet.”

“This achievement not only provides information about the extraordinary journey that the meteorite made. It also contributes to our understanding of the origin and dynamics of iron-rich cosmic objects. In addition, it deepens our knowledge of the solar system as a whole,” Gritsevich concluded. .