Cosmic symplectite recorded irradiation by nearby massive stars in the solar system's parent molecular cloud

Wash U Press release: https://source.wustl.edu/2021/07/sculpted-by-starlight-a-meteorite-witness-to-the-solar-systems-birth/

In this GCA article, we seek to understand the role of the Sun’s galactic neighborhood on the formation of the Solar System. Using high-precision measurements of sulfur and oxygen isotopes of an extraordinary mineral phase in a primitive meteorite, we determined that ultraviolet light from nearby stars must be responsible for photochemical processing of Solar System solids, not light from the young Sun. In the last 20 years, measurements of sulfur isotope anomalies have revolutionized our understanding of the early Earth’s radiation environment. The measurements we report in this work will similarly transform our understanding of the Solar System’s formation and the isotope anomalies inherited from its parent molecular cloud. We already knew that we are all made of stardust, but our findings show that we were affected by starlight as well.

Publisher link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0016703721003756

Free access link: https://hal.science/hal-04028499/document