A team of scientists has found signs of an ancient and extinct magnetic field on the edges of the solar system, while it was in the process of formation. The records were in samples from the asteroid Ryugu, a primitive object collected by the Japan Space Agency’s (JAXA) Hayabusa 2 mission.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) analyzed the Ryugu particles in search of more information about the early moments of the solar system. The asteroid is key to understanding the Earth system because it formed in the periphery and has remained unchanged since the consolidation of the planets. In the samples, MIT scientists found signs of a weak magnetic field that could have influenced the formation of Ryugu, other asteroids of its type, and even giant planets like Jupiter.
Magnetic fields at the beginning of the solar system
Magnetic fields are fundamental in the formation of any star system. According to the best hypotheses in this regard, the fields cause matter to move and concentrate towards the center of a molecular cloud to give rise to a star. A similar phenomenon drives the creation of planets. Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars were formed thanks to the dynamics of those nebular fields that dragged away dispersed dust. The same thing probably happened on the outer planets and asteroids, although there is not enough evidence for this.
Ryugu that gives clues to a magnetic field that only influenced the periphery of the solar system. This must have been extremely weak and lasted long enough to become embedded in the first rock objects. According to the report published in the scientific journal AGU Advances, The field had a strength of 15 microteslas (measurement of magnetic flux density). In comparison, that of the Earth’s field is calculated at 50 microteslas.
Despite the weakness of the flow, experts think it was strong enough to bring together primordial gas and dust, form the asteroids of the outer solar system, and play a role in the creation of giant planets, from Jupiter to Neptune. “We’re showing that everywhere we look now, there was some kind of magnetic field that was responsible for bringing mass to where the Sun and planets were forming,” said study author Benjamin Weiss.
How was the original magnetic field formed?
Currently the solar system has its own giant magnetic field created by the solar wind expelled from the star. It is called the heliosphere and it protects all planets from high-energy particles that come from interstellar space. However, while the star was forming, there were primordial bubbles of magnetic flux that gave shape to the dust clouds. Astronomers try to explain these nebular fields with the information available.
The nebular field that was impregnated in Ryugu was probably formed by the interaction of ionized gas that revolved around the early stages of the Sun. Therefore, it disappeared once the planets, moons and asteroids consolidated approximately 4 billion years ago.
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