Jakarta –
The Winchcombe meteorite, a meteorite that was observed entering Earth’s atmosphere as a fireball over Gloucestershire, England in February 2021, is a very important rock because it is known to contain the origins of Earth’s formation
Experts have confirmed that the Winchcombe meteorite contained amino acids, organic compounds essential for life on Earth. While the concentrations of amino acids and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in meteorites are not as high as in some other asteroid remnants (only 1.1 and 6.2 parts per million, respectively), this makes the discovery even more exciting.
Recent research papers say the Winchcombe meteorite not only contains organic matter but also appears to represent a new class of meteorite. Some of the material in it was altered in ways that suggest at least three brief bursts of liquid water on the asteroid bodies it came from.
This meteorite would not have made it to Earth without a spectacular sky. Thanks to footage from personal cameras and a network of fireball trackers, we can now determine an object’s flight path and use it to calculate the orbit of the asteroid from which the meteorite originated.
Quoted from IFL Science, when the composition of meteorites and their previous orbits can be matched together, it will increase the potential contribution to understanding the evolution of the Solar System. Details from the British fireball network make Winchcombe one of the first 40 meteorites whose origins within the asteroid belt can be traced.
Within two weeks of its discovery, there have been reports of water-carrying minerals. As carbonaceous chondrites that make up only 4% of meteorites and may have seeded life on Earth, Winchcombe stands out.
“Studying the organic inventory of the Winchcombe meteorite gives us a window into how simple chemistry started life at the birth of our Solar System,” said Dr Queenie Chan of Royal Holloway University of London.
“Finding these life precursor organic molecules allows us to understand the fall of similar matter to the Earth’s surface, prior to the emergence of life on our own planet.”
The Winchcombe rock has a number of features never before seen in a meteorite, including a low abundance of amino acids for chondrite carbon, but also an unusual ratio of amino acids to the PAHs present.
Like most asteroids, Winchcombe is thought to have been part of a large asteroid, and the part that hit Earth’s atmosphere was knocked out in a collision before wandering through space for a long time.
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(rns/fyk)
