Chondrite
A chondrite is a stony meteorite full of tiny round grains called chondrules, and almost unchanged since the Solar System formed.
Chondrites are the most common meteorites of all, making up most of the stones seen to fall. Their name comes from chondrules: little rounded grains, usually smaller than a pea, packed together like beads in a cake. Chondrules formed as molten droplets floating in the cloud of gas and dust around the young Sun, around 4.6 billion years ago.
Chondrites matter because they come from asteroids that never melted completely. They are leftover building material from when the planets were forming, so they are like the original ingredients in a recipe. Studying them tells scientists what the early Solar System was made of. Some contain the oldest solid materials known.
In the meteorite that fell at Bjurböle in Finland in 1899, the stone is so crumbly that whole chondrules can be picked out. In most chondrites you need to look at a cut, polished face with a hand lens to see small round shapes and specks of metal. Many chondrites also stick to a magnet because they contain bits of iron. Remember: only experts should cut a meteorite.
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Level: Beginner Ages 7 and up