Vesta Archives

The 134Xe/132Xe versus 136Xe/132Xe diagram showing the composition of Tatahouine (#13349) and Shalka (#6766 C) measured at different heating steps, including those of Michel & Eugster (1994) and Eugster & Michel (1995) for comparison. The 238U and 244Pu fission Xe data are from Porcelli et al. (2002). Q-Xe (Q phase is the main carrier of heavy noble gases in chondrites) is from Busemann et al. (2000), SW-Xe (SW stands for solar wind) is from Meshik et al. (2020), U-Xe is from Pepin & Porcelli (2002) and Air (corresponding to Earth’s atmosphere) -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Gas Giants, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report

Asteroids Fail To Retain Cometary Impact Signatures

by Keith CowingJuly 3, 2025July 3, 2025

A bombardment of comets is thought to have occurred in the inner solar system as a result of a dynamical instability among the giant planets after gas disk dispersal.

El Médano 128 meteorite, an ordinary chondrite (group L), found in the Atacama desert in 2011 by a team of researchers from the Centre de recherche et d'enseignement des géosciences de l'environnement (CEREGE - Aix-Marseille Université/CNRS/INRAE/IRD). CREDIT © Jérôme Gattacceca, CNRS, CEREGE

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release

The Origin Of Most Meteorites Finally Revealed

by Keith CowingOctober 17, 2024October 17, 2024

An international team led by three researchers from the CNRS, the European Southern Observatory (ESO, Europe), and Charles University (Czech Republic) has successfully demonstrated that 70% of all known meteorite […]