# Can we identify extra-solar material?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-identify-extra-solar-material/423801>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 24, 2007, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-identify-extra-solar-material/423801 "2007-10-24T09:30:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-identify-extra-solar-material/423801/1 "2007-10-24T09:30:51Z")

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Well, can we?

The age and origin of the solar system has been pretty well determined through dating of rocks and meteorites, but how could we determine if a meteorite or asteroid or whatever originated outside the solar system? I seems to me that not all gas clouds will have the same properties and so will generate different solar systems.

On a related note, the solar system originated in a gas cloud which resulted from a supernova or two. Has it been determined when that / those supernovae occurred?

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**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-identify-extra-solar-material/423801/2 "2007-10-24T10:43:12Z")

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[QUOTE=Quartz]  
Well, can we?

The age and origin of the solar system has been pretty well determined through dating of rocks and meteorites, but how could we determine if a meteorite or asteroid or whatever originated outside the solar system? I seems to me that not all gas clouds will have the same properties and so will generate different solar systems.  
[/QUOTE]  
Yes. The isotopic composition gives a fairly good indication of whether something comes from our solar system (as long as your sample contains suitable long-lived isotopes).

Si