This is a pallasite meteorite a rare slice of an ancient asteroid believed to have formed between its metallic core and rocky mantle over 4.5 billion years ago.

Those glowing crystal sections are olivine, meaning you’re looking at the shattered inner remains of a lost world from the dawn of our solar system.

Article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallasite

    • NeverNudeNo13@lemmings.worldEnglish
      722·
      2 days ago

      I mean, technically yes but typically when they say something is this old they mean in the “last formed” state. Because while it’s probably true that everything has always existed from the beginning of time, it hasn’t stayed in the same state or form for very long.

      It’s like saying that cake has always existed because it’s made of flour which is made from carbon which was created at the big bang.

      But in truth, cake never existed before some one made the recipe for it and started arranging ingredients in a particular way to create cake.

      • starik@lemmy.zipEnglish
        23·
        2 days ago

        Only hydrogen and helium formed shortly after the big bang. The heavier elements like carbon were fused inside stars later, and the heaviest during supernovae. The carbon in that meteor is the same age as the carbon on Earth, since it was part of the same dust cloud that formed our solar system.

        • NeverNudeNo13@lemmings.worldEnglish
          3·
          1 day ago

          Yeap this is correct. I was just trying to illustrate the general idea in my reply. Things get funny on the other side too when you start considering decay and halflife as well.

        • Redacted@lemmy.worldEnglish
          3·
          2 days ago

          I mean, technically yes but typically when they say something is formed at the Big Bang they mean in the hydrogen/helium state. Because while it’s probably true that everything has always existed from the beginning of time, it hasn’t stayed in the same state or form for very long.

    • Gsus4@mander.xyzEnglish
      6·
      2 days ago

      yeah, “material” not as in individual atoms, but this here macroscopic structure made of said atoms.