Physicists have a few ideas to explain how the early solar system became a blender. One theory credits the mix to a pair of strongly interactive magnetic fields which were generated by the infant sun and the disk of gas and dust that would give rise to its family. "We do not know the exact process yet," said Kita. "This observation motivates us to figure out the real condition of the early solar system." The discovery builds on early results from the Stardust science mission, which visited a comet and collected interstellar particles during a seven-year cruise that extended halfway to Jupiter. Zolensky says it would be a good idea to get samples from another comet to make sure Wild 2 isn't just a fluke. "We thought this was going to be a mission about what you'd find in the outer solar system but it turns out it's a mission about what's in the entire solar system," he said. "It makes it much more complicated, but it's more exciting." Related Links: |
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