Cosmic Treasure Hunt: Finding Stardust in Meteorites

Have you ever wondered where the stuff that makes up planets, asteroids, and even our bodies comes from? When stars reach the end of their lives, they create most of the elements found around us, like the carbon which makes up life on Earth and the oxygen we breathe. These elements travel through space as gas and dust, eventually helping to form new stars, planets, as well as you and I.

But how do scientists learn about this when stars are so far away? Surprisingly, we actually have tiny samples of stardust right here on Earth! This stardust was made long before our Solar System formed, and it became part of the planets and asteroids about 4.5 billion years ago. Today, we can find bits of this stardust inside ancient meteorites, which frequently crash to earth.

In this talk, Dr. Dunham will share the fascinating story of how stardust was discovered about 50 years ago, showing how scientific discoveries can take unexpected twists and turns. She will also describe the exciting research happening at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where scientists use powerful tools to study stardust in incredible detail. By measuring these tiny pieces of stardust, we can learn about the stars that made them and the history of our Solar System - and even ourselves!

Emilie Dunham is a meteorite researcher, working as a Lawrence Fellow Postdoc at Lawence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).