Imma Perfetto
Cosmos science journalist
Meteorites that fall to Earth in a blaze of light allow us to peer back into the physical and chemical properties of their non-terrestrial origins. As we keep our eyes peeled for shooting stars these holidays, these are 5 things we learned about meteorites in 2024.
When Mars had liquid water
Recent analysis of the Lafayette Meteorite, which landed somewhere in the US state of Indiana, has revealed important insights about the state of liquid water on Mars 742 million years ago.
Stardust found in meteorite is older than the Sun
Dust particles inside a meteorite have been shown to contain specific chemical signatures that show they were created by stars that existed before our Sun, which formed about 5 billion years ago.
Where do most meteorites come from?
New studies show that 70% of the 70,000 meteorites found on Earth have come from 3 recent collisions in the main asteroid belt which sits between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
There was hot water on ancient Mars
The oldest direct evidence of Martian hot water – a key ingredient for habitable environments – has been found in a 4.45-billion-year-old zircon grain from the famous “Black Beauty” meteorite.
Massive meteorite impacted early lifeforms
A meteorite 200 times larger than the one that killed off most dinosaurs slammed into Earth about 3.26 billion years ago. According to new research, certain bacteria flourished after the fact.
