Most people know that shooting stars are meteorites – rocks arriving from space, hitting Earth’s atmosphere. When those rocks reach the ground some are picked up, clues found inside them, and their stories revealed.
Those stories are… astounding: Many of these rocks are parts of worlds destroyed billions of years ago - worlds with internal heat, water flowing underground, and the carbon chemistry that could lead to life. Some are from surviving worlds, like Mars or the Moon, and tell stories of ancient atmospheres, or long dried waters.
Exploring those worlds is as hard as picking up fallen rocks…
...OK, you probably need a laboratoy too.
Above: Imperial College scientists explain how we use meteorites to learn about other worlds..