Space
A meteorite discovered in north-west Africa in 2023 didn’t come from a large asteroid or any of the known planets of the solar system – but it might have formed on a planet that was destroyed long ago
By Alex Wilkins
The NWA 15915 meteorite was discovered in 2023
Steve Jurvetson/CC BY 2.0
Misfit meteorites that don’t fit neatly into known categories could be relics from a lost Mercury-like world that was destroyed early in the history of the solar system.
Most asteroids that fall to Earth as meteorites can be grouped together and have common origins, with many derived from larger asteroids, the moon or Mars. But around 0.2 per cent of meteorites are outliers, resisting any neat categorisation.
Now, Jennifer Mitchell at…
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