Stardustluotain

Stardustluotain, also known as the "Stardust Meteorite," is a notable celestial object discovered in 2008 in the Finnish region of Kainuu. It is classified as an H4 chondrite, a type of stony meteorite belonging to the ordinary chondrite group, which makes up about 90% of all meteorites found on Earth. The meteorite is named after the Stardust meteor shower, which was active around the time of its fall, though it is not directly linked to that shower.

The Stardustluotain meteorite was found by a local resident near the village of Sodankylä, in a forested area known as the Luotainjärvi region. Its discovery was significant because it was one of the few meteorites recovered in Finland in recent decades, contributing to the limited but valuable collection of extraterrestrial materials available for scientific study. The specimen weighs approximately 1.5 kilograms, making it relatively large compared to many other meteorites found in Finland.

Scientifically, Stardustluotain provides insights into the early solar system. Chondrites like this one contain chondrules—small, spherical particles formed by rapid heating and cooling of dust in the early solar nebula—and are considered primitive, meaning they have undergone minimal alteration since their formation. Researchers analyze these meteorites to understand the conditions present during the formation of planets and the composition of the solar system’s building blocks.

The meteorite is housed in the Finnish Museum of Natural History (LUOMUS) in Helsinki, where it is available for study and public display. Its inclusion in scientific collections allows researchers to further investigate its properties, including mineralogy, isotopic composition, and potential signs of extraterrestrial organic compounds. While not as famous as some other meteorites, Stardustluotain remains an important specimen for Finnish and international meteoritical research.