The analysis of isotopes in some meteorites suggests that a supernova may have triggered the formation of our

Question

....solar system. Is this argument valid?

Answer 1

The information about the physics of isotopes is very interesting however there is absolutely no way of proving that our solar system was formed by a supernova. The event moments involved in supernova processes are not condusive to forming solar planetary systems. The forces involved are condusive to distruction of systems not births.  

Answer 2

Our solar system was formed in a large nebula not unsimilar to the orion nebula when the sun was in its protostar stage.  On what grounds do neutron levels in meteorite samples have anything to do with a supernova creating our solar system?  It does sound interesting...is there an article on it?

Well that would explain the nickel and iron core of the earth.  Could it possibly be the remnant of a supernova explosion?

Answer 3

What is certain is that some of the atoms in our solar system were formed by supernovas.  Even the largest most energetic stars cannot create all the elements that we see here on Earth.  Here is a short list of a few common things that we know were produced by supernovas: copper, arsenic, silver, gold,  tin, iodine, mercury, lead, and uranium.  

Because of this evidence all around us, we know that a supernova must have happened to create these materials, but we don't know when.  That's when we start to look to isotopes.  We know that many, many different elements and isotopes of those elements are created during supernova.  Radioactive isotopes help us determine time because they can, in a way, act as clocks.  Radioactive isotopes decay at a very predictable rate, as determined by their half life (the amount of time it takes for half of a given sample to decay.)  

If we have a pure sample of the material that was present when the solar system first formed, we can look for the concentration of these isotopes to determine how long ago they were formed.  People look to meteorites to find pure samples of the composition of the early solar system.

Answer 4

Yes, absolutely.  The analysis of isotopes does not refer only to radioisotopes, but to the distribution of isotopes of various elements in the meteorite.  A lot is known about the formation of heavy elements, called nucleogenesis.  The conditions under which they are formed determines the isotopic distribution.  So, the temperature and environment necessary to produce an observed distribution can be, with care and difficulty, calculated.  Also, we know that the raw material of the universe is essentially hydrogen, and from this everything else was formed by nuclear reactions in stars.  Supernova conditions are necessary to permit many of the heavier elements to be formed.  There is a lot of literature on the subject, it's fascinating!