Atomic dating suggests these kinds of meteorites are 4.56 billion years old—almost a million years older than Earth. The grains and chondrules appear relatively undeformed by heat or pressure, as only the external surfaces are blistered and melted by their entry into the atmosphere. These small meteorites hold the material that swirled around the sun prior to the formation of the planets and asteroids.
Meteorites containing chondrules.
