This ancient stardust is the oldest ever to be examined in a lab
Tiny grains give insight into galactic happenings before our solar system’s birth
![Egg nebula stardust](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/011020_mt_stardust_feat.jpg?fit=1028%2C579&ssl=1)
Bits of dust expelled by aging stars (like those in the Egg Nebula plume, pictured) and brought to Earth on a meteorite are the oldest ever dated in a lab. One 8-micrometer grain is also shown.
Background: W. Sparks/STSCI and R. Sahai/JPL-NASA; Inset: Courtesy of J.N. Avila