Space May 28, 2007
Gentle start to the solar system
The prevailing theory has been that our solar system started when the shock wave of a nearby supernova compressed the gas and dust in our neighborhood. NewScientist reports a new study by Martin Bizzarro of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and colleagues is pointing toward a gentler start. The new theory is that the wind from an extremely massive star, about 30 times the mass of our sun, is the culprit. Supernovas create iron-60 while super massive stars create Aluminum-26. The meteorites formed at approximately the same time as our solar system do not contain iron-60 but do contain Aluminum-26. Meteorites from a few million years later do contain iron-60, suggesting that maybe that super massive star later exploded as a supernova.