1. A Supernova Caused the Strange Alien Rock Discovered in Egypt
Location: Egypt’s Great Sand Sea
Year Found: 1996
Estimated Value: Unknown
This strange rock, called the Hypatia stone, was discovered in the Great Sand Sea of Egypt in 1996. The three-gram sample was unlike anything found in our solar system, much less the Milky Way. Science was perplexed by it for years. Now, in 2022, South African chemists may have the solution to the enigma after studying Hypatia since 2013.
Egypt’s Strange Alien Rock Originated From A Supernova
Hypatia, according to these experts, is the first example of an Ia explosion—a rare kind of supernova, or exploding star—that has been seen on Earth. Ia explosions occur in binary systems in which one star is a white dwarf. Hypatia may have been ejected from a supernova, which is the brightest event in the universe. Hypatia is thought by chemists to have originated during the early stages of our solar system, some 4.6 billion years ago.