Scientists Found an Asteroid From the Time of Earth’s Formation

Scientists have identified an asteroid formed in the inner Solar System at the same time as Earth that has been remarkably preserved, according to new research.

The study, published in the journal Science Advances, shows that the asteroid had been preserved since spinning out to the freezing cold temperatures of the Oort Cloud region at the edge of the Solar System.

“This one is the first uncooked asteroid we could observe,” study author Karen Meech, a researcher at University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy, said in a statement. “It has been preserved in the best freezer there is.”