A study published in 2026 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that ancient meteorites contain evidence of powerful magnetic fields during the solar system’s formation, challenging the long-held belief that gravity alone shaped its early stages.
Researchers at MIT analyzed microscopic grains from the meteorite DOM 08006, found in Antarctica in 2008, and discovered magnetic signatures dating back to the solar system’s first 200,000 years. These findings suggest that magnetic fields, not just gravity, played a critical role in transforming the solar nebula into a protoplanetary disk.
Magnetic Fields as a Hidden Architect
The study, led by Benjamin Weiss, the Robert R. Shrock Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at MIT, focused on calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) within DOM 08006. These grains, formed before the sun fully formed, retain remanent magnetization that indicates a magnetic field stronger than Earth’s.
Cauê Borlina said that nowadays people don’t debate whether magnetism is present when planets are forming. He said that that’s where the debate still resides, and that’s where we’re operating now.
Ancient meteorites reveal a powerful force that helped build
The research was part of a broader effort to understand how magnetic fields influenced the solar system’s evolution.
A Meteorite With an Unusual Record
DOM 08006 stands out for its pristine condition. Unlike most meteorites, which have undergone billions of years of alteration, DOM 08006 has retained its original mineral makeup. Weiss explained that other meteorites went through many different processes over this 4.5 billion year history. But somehow, DOM has experienced less alteration than any other meteorite.
The meteorite’s CAIs, some of the oldest solar system materials, offer a rare glimpse into the early stages of planetary formation. Borlina said that we know they are the oldest things we have of the early solar system.
The meteorite was discovered in the Dominion Range, a mountain range along the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. Since its discovery, the meteorite has been studied extensively because of its unusually primitive composition.
The Unresolved Questions
How did the solar system form? Ancient meteorite reveals
While the study confirms magnetic fields existed during the solar nebula stage, the exact mechanisms remain unclear.
The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, mark a significant step in understanding the forces that shaped our cosmic neighborhood.
How Early Solar Magnetism Could Have Worked
Magnetic fields arise when electrically charged matter moves. As those particles circulated through the developing disk, they could have created and maintained a magnetic field. As that material condensed, tiny magnetic minerals could have recorded the strength of the surrounding field.