Many meteorites are time capsules from the beginning of the Solar System, but the Murchison meteorite is something special. Within its 4.6 billion year old rock matrix is something even older: seven billion year old pre-solar grains, pieces of stardust that predate not just the Earth but the Sun too.

The Murchison meteorite is part of a group known as CM2 carbonaceous chondrites, a class known to contain amino acids, the organic building blocks of life itself. Murchison in particular is one of the most studied of all meteorites, displaying over 70 different amino acids, including 8 of the 20 proteinogenic amino acids used to build proteins encoded in our DNA found in all life here on Earth.

When the Murchison meteorite fell to the Earth in 1969, it brought with it the oldest material now found on Earth. The incredible specimen, coupled with its spectacular observed fall, has made this one of the most studied and sought-after meteorite specimens in history.

This specimen is an incredible fragment of the Murchison meteorite. In addition to its pre-solar grains, the meteorite also contains amino acids, a basic building block of life. Each of our Murchison specimens have been photographed and are listed individually by price. This is incredibly rare material from the deep history of our solar system's past, so supply is very limited. You can see all our currently available pieces in the collection below!

At 10:58 am on September 28, 1969, a bright fireball appeared in the sky near the small, riverside town of Murchison, Australia. Under tremendous stress, the bolide separated into three main pieces, spreading fragments across 13 square kilometers (5 sq mi), including one lump which crashed through a barn roof and landed in a pile of hay.

As astronomical as the odds might be for this soft landing, the Murchison meteorite would turn out to be literally one of the rarest of all meteorite finds: a remnant formed at the very birth of the Solar System, which also happened to carry the building blocks of life.

Known as a carbonaceous chondrite, this type of meteorite is distinguished by calcium–aluminum-rich inclusions (CAI), minerals that are among the first solids to condense in the high-temperature gases of a young, protoplanetary disk. 

In addition to CAIs, Murchison also carries a fantastic array of more than 70 different amino acids, including 8 of the 20 proteinogenic amino acids used to build proteins encoded in our DNA as well as all life here on Earth.

Since the discovery of amino acids in the Murchison meteorite, scientists have discovered that other carbonaceous chondrites also contain amino acids. Recent studies suggest that the amino acids present in these meteorites may even pre-date the formation of the solar system. 

Further studies have revealed that the diversity of amino acids in a particular meteorite can be used to study the original parent or "host body" and how geological processes (including aqueous alteration) may have enriched these early organic chemicals prior to the emergence of life in this solar system.