Scientists have uncovered new evidence that Earth is traveling through a cloud of ancient stellar debris left behind by a long ago exploding star. By studying Antarctic ice that formed tens of thousands of years ago, researchers detected traces of iron-60, a rare radioactive form of iron created during supernova explosions. The findings support the idea that the Local Interstellar Cloud surrounding our Solar System contains material from an ancient stellar blast.

The research was led by an international team from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), and the results were published in Physical Review Letters .

Rare Supernova Iron Found in Antarctic Ice

Iron-60 forms deep inside massive stars and is released into space when those stars explode as supernovae. Previous studies found evidence that Earth was exposed to iron-60 from nearby supernova explosions millions of years ago.…