Scientists from South Africa have discovered the first-ever comet material found on Earth.
Researchers from the University of the Witwaterstrand, along with international collaborators, said that they have "definitive proof" of a comet striking Earth millions of years ago could help determine how the solar system was formed.
"Comets always visit our skies, they're these dirty snowballs of ice mixed with dust, but never before in history has material from a comet ever been found on Earth," said researcher David Block, according to UPI.com.
Analysis of a black pebble found a number of years ago in Egypt allowed researchers to determine it was the first known specimen of a comet nucleus, instead of being part of a meteorite.
The pebble is from a comet that entered Earth's atmosphere above Egypt some 28 million years ago where it exploded. The comet heated up sand beneath it to approximately 3,600 degrees F, according to UPI.com.
A geologist found the pebble in an area of fused glass, according to Block.
Comet fragments have not been found on Earth before, besides microscopic sized dust particles in the upper atmosphere and carbon-rich dust in Antarctica.
"It's a typical scientific euphoria when you eliminate all other options and come to the realization of what it must be," study lead author Jan Kramers of the University of Johannesburg said in a statement.
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