10 - 7 Billion Year 0ld Murchison Meteorite

7 Billion Year 0ld Murchison Meteorite Came to earth from the pre-solar system and called "scents from God's kitchen". A unique time capsule! A pristine, exemplary specimen of what is among the most storied meteorites in the scientific literature. An exceptional specimen from a scientifically notable meteorite shower. This meteorite is blanketed in pristine fusion crust. It’s also oriented (i.e., it did not spin and tumble during its descent through the Earth’s atmosphere, but largely maintained the same axis of orientation) as ablation lipping, a telltale sign of orientation, is readily evident. Apart from the submicroscopic pre-solar grains, this meteorite contains calcium aluminum inclusions (CAIs) which were among the first particles to condense out of the gaseous solar nebula from which our solar system originated. CAIs are among the oldest samples of matter visible to the naked eye that humankind can touch. Weight: ca. 451.2 gram. LOCATION: Australia, Victoria, near the town of Murchison (36°37' S, 145°12' E) HISTORY: – On the morning of September 28, 1969—the same year Apollo 11 landed on the Moon— a rock from outer space traveling at about 33,600kmph, 13km per second, faster than a moon rocket, impacted the atmosphere and exploded in the sky. This occurred a massive meteorite shower over Australian and thousands of people across Australia saw or heard the a brilliant fireball trailing an enormous smoke plume, explosions and sonic booms that shook houses and rattled windows. Mid-air explosions were so powerful that pieces of the meteorite were scattered over an area of about 35 square kilometers on the banks of the Goulburn river in Victoria, near the small town of Murchison. The fall was witnessed as far away as Canberra, ACT, and Mildura, NSW, comparable to the distance between Boston and Washington, and much further than from London to Paris! Closer to the town of Murchison the fireball was seen to split into three in the sky, and a strong tremor was felt. A shower of black rocks fell in and around the town. THE RAREST AND MOST INTRIGUING BLACK ROCK FROM SPACE HAD ARRIVED..!! – For weeks after the impact a strong, penetrating odour lingered. One of the principal constituents of pungent smell has been identified as pyridine, an organic compound. Collection began instantly. Approximately 100 kilograms were recovered after months of intensive search efforts, of which more than 80 kilos are held in museums. – As we now know, the Murchison meteorite is the most ancient and intriguing object on earth. It is considered the Holy Grail of meteorites as it contains 7 billion year old pre-solar grains from outside our solar system. These microscopic dust particles were formed in the light of dying stars older than the sun! In the last several decades have seen Murchison become the richest meteoritic source of amazing scientific discovery, citated in scores of publications. – To On January 13, 2020, the Murchison meteorite made headlines once again. This time, it was not because of the more than 70 amino acids and tens of thousands of organic compounds previously identified within it. The news stemmed from the announcement that a fragment of the Murchison meteorite contained the oldest solid material ever found on our planet. A tiny grain of stardust within a Murchison fragment was determined to be over seven billion years old—more than 50% older than the Earth and the Sun. Laboratories originally equipped to analyze lunar rock suddenly found themselves with new work when the distinctive aromatic scent of the Murchison meteorite became clearly perceptible. We now know that Murchison meteorites contain various organic compounds, including alcohols, aromatic hydrocarbons, and fullerenes; the latter group is known for potential antiviral and anti-aging properties. Additionally, the meteorite contains amino acids capable of bonding to form proteins—the building blocks of life. Size: ca. 10 x 9 x 6.5 cm. PROVENANCE: Dutch Private Collection NOTE: – Before striking Earth, the meteorite underwent chemical changes on its parent asteroid due to the action of water-rich fluids. Murchison fragments are highly sought after by both scientists and collectors; over the past few decades, they have become some of the most extensively studied meteorites, featuring in countless scientific publications. In 2010, an article in the ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’ announced the identification of 14,000 unique molecular compounds in a small fragment of a Murchison meteorite. Furthermore, this study—conducted by a team of nine German scientists—revealed that many of these organic compounds were already present in the solar system before life emerged on Earth. This raises the question not only of whether meteorites played a key role in the origin of life, but also of whether meteorites like Murchison might have sown the seeds for the precursors of life in other solar systems as well