Scientists claim that the asteroid that fell in Germany is as old as the solar system

Scientists have affirmed that an asteroid which detonated over Germany on January 21 is a rare type of space rock that can provide insights into the origins of Earth. The remnants of the asteroid 2024 BX1 were located just five days after the event and underwent analysis by a team of scientists, leading to the conclusion that it belongs to a rare category known as aubrites.

Peter Jenniskens, a member of the team involved in recovering the remnants, stated in a Space.com report that there have only been 11 documented instances of aubrite meteorites falling to Earth in the past. This rare group is estimated to represent merely 1% of all known meteorites.

What distinguishes aubrite meteorites? Aubrite meteorites are notable for their distinctive features. Unlike typical meteorites, they possess a translucent glassy outer layer instead of a thick black one, and they exhibit a grey granite-like appearance, initially making it challenging to differentiate them from ordinary terrestrial rocks.

“The intriguing aspect of this incident is that we have a very precise orbit for it, so the shape of the orbit itself contains clues regarding the potential source region for these meteorites,” remarked Jenniskens.