Many scientists know that dust has been part of the formation of the solar system. Many though still wonder where the dust has come from. A study shows that cosmic dust that formed the solar system came from giant stars.
Large stars have layers which they then disperse into space. These layers are a mixture of dust and gases. These are the ones that would be used later on to form other stars as well as planets. Researchers have suggested that this could also be the same process that has created the solar system.
Researchers from the University of Edinburgh say that dust and gases coming from Asymptotic Giant Branch or AGB stars have formed the solar system. The solar system was formed around 4.6 billion years ago. While most of the dust has been used to form the planets, researchers think that some of them could still be found in meteorites.
One issue that that researchers are contending with is that the dust samples that have been found on meteorites are not the same as those that astronomers expect from AGB stars. The study has looked into the nuclear reactions that happen in AGB stars for clues as to what happens to dust coming there. The solution has been found at an underground lab in Italy.
The Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA) has found the solution to the issue, according to the University of Edinburgh's site. The solution has been made together with the researchers from the University of Edinburgh and other researchers. The study has found that the effects of the nuclear reactions in AGB stars could be found on some of the dust samples in meteorites.
For the collaboration, the LUNA study has been made by 40 scientists from 14 institutions, as Science Daily reports. Dr. Maria Lugaro from Konkoly Obervatory in Hungary and lead of the study has said that identifying the dust has been key to solving the issue on where they came from. With the solution, it has been found that cosmic dust that formed the solar system came from giant stars. A study has shown that the distant universe has star-forming galaxies.
