In an exciting scientific discovery, researchers have uncovered direct evidence for the first time of a lost embryonic planet, known as a protoplanet, which followed a different evolutionary path than the planets we know. This discovery opens new horizons for understanding how planets formed and evolved in the early solar system.
A Lost Planet in the Desert
The story begins in the Sahara Desert, where a meteorite named Northwest Africa 12774 was found. This meteorite belongs to the rare angrite type. Angrites are among the oldest volcanic rocks in the solar system, having formed just a few million years after the solar system’s birth 4.56 billion years ago.
This rare meteorite holds secrets of an ancient world, as angrites have a unique chemical composition that differs from other known rocky planets like Earth and Mars, notably lacking significant amounts of silica.
Immense Pressure in the Planet’s Depths
While examining the meteorite, scientists discovered the mineral clinopyroxene, which is known to exist in Earth’s crust and mantle. However, in this meteorite, it contains high levels of aluminum, indicating it formed under immense pressures deep within a larger planetary body.
Calculations show that these conditions require at least 17.5 kilobars of pressure, far exceeding the pressure at Earth’s deepest point, the Mariana Trench. Such pressures cannot exist within a small asteroid, indicating the angrite’s parent body must have been quite large.
A World Like the Moon or Bigger!
The evidence suggests that the parent body of the angrite may have had a radius exceeding 1,800 kilometers, making it similar in size to the Moon and possibly approaching the size of Mars. This hypothesis is supported by the state of the crystals in the meteorite, which remain sharp and detailed, suggesting they formed near the surface of this large body.
A Different Path to Planet Formation
Some mysteries remain about the fate of this ancient world, but it likely fragmented due to a massive collision in the early solar system. Its fragments may have merged into the formation of other rocky planets, including Earth.
This discovery points to a separate evolutionary path for planets, as the materials that formed the angrite’s parent body differ fundamentally from those that formed Earth and Mars.
Conclusion
This discovery is a significant step in reshaping our understanding of planet formation in the solar system. The lost world discovered by scientists was not just a celestial body, but a unique world holding undiscovered secrets. With other meteorites yet to be studied, there may be more lost worlds waiting to be revealed.