Pre-Solar Stardust, a Piece of the Allende Meteorite

About the Item

Pre-Solar Stardust - A piece of the Allende Meteorite Carbonaceous Chondrite - CV3 Height 6.98 cm 280 g “This individual sample of the Allende CV3 carbonaceous chondrite shows an incomplete millimeter-thick fusion crust. In crust-free patches, there are a few large white Calcium- Aluminum Inclusions (CAIs) – the oldest solids formed in the Solar System. Also present in the meteorite are tiny presolar grains that condensed in the atmospheres of dying stars billions of years before the Sun came into being.” - Dr Alan E. Rubin, PhD Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, UCLA This dark-grey coloured fragment belongs to the Allende meteorite, the “Rosetta stone of planetologists.” The piece is covered in a beautiful fusion crust, which formed during Allende’s journey through our atmosphere as it was superheated to over 1700 °C. Carbonaceous chondrites such as the present example are extremely rare, making up about 4 percent of all meteorites found on Earth. The abundant calcium–aluminium-rich inclusions found in Allende, visible in the present specimen, are the oldest known solids to have formed in the Solar System, at approximately 4.567 billion years old - these are known as ‘presolar grains’, as they predate the formation not only of our planet, but even of our sun. As such, Allende, often described as “the best-studied meteorite in history”, cited in over 14,000 peer-reviewed scientific papers, has been invaluable to scientists in deepening our understanding of the birth of the Solar System, particularly as its fragments were gathered months before the Apollo 11 mission, and so proved an important reference for the study of the returned lunar samples. Even today, samples from Allende are regarded as the highest laboratory standard in the field of planetary science across the world. “In the early morning of Saturday, 8 February 1969 (between 0105 and 0110 Central Standard Time), a brilliant fireball was observed over much of northern Mexico and adjacent areas of Texas and New Mexico. The most spectacular phenomena were centered around the city of Hidalgo del Parral in the south-central part of the state of Chihuahua. The fireball approached from the south-southwest, and as it neared its terminal point the brilliant light was accompanied by tremendous detonations and a strong air blast.” - Clarke et al (1971) Provenance: Discovered in Pueblito de Allende, Chihuahua, Mexico (26 ° 58’ N, 105 ° 19’ W), 8/2/1969, 01:05. Subsequently deposited at the Center for Meteorite Studies Arizona State University, Temper Arizona, no. 818.53. Deaccessioned from the above in 2009. Published: Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 45, Moscow (1969) reprinted Met. 5, 85-109 (1970) ArtAncient, Extraterrestrial (2022).

Dimensions:

Height: 2.75 in (6.98 cm)Diameter: 2.41 in (6.12 cm)

Materials and Techniques:

Stone

Place of Origin:

Mexico

Period:

15th Century and Earlier

Date of Manufacture:

circa 4.5 Billion y/o

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use.