Comets and asteroids
Chondrule
Say it: KON-drool IPA: /ˈkɑndruːl/ noun
Chondrule: A small, usually rounded mineral object that crystallized from molten or partly molten material in the early solar system.
These tiny beads occur in meteorites called chondrites. Their textures and chemistry retain clues to heating events before the rocks containing them became parts of larger bodies.
- Example
- Under a microscope, the meteorite revealed rounded chondrules in a finer matrix.
- Why astronomers use it
- They preserve evidence of how primitive solar-system material was heated and assembled.
- Tiny cosmic connection
- Chondrules are constituents of some meteorites, not a name for all meteorite grains.
Observatory Comets and asteroids
Where to check it
Written for Cool Moon Facts in its own words; the sources cover the same idea in more depth.