ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Cosmochemistry

Cosmochemistry is like playing detective to figure out how everything in the universe was made - from the tiniest particles to the biggest stars! It’s like a giant puzzle that scientists try to solve by studying rocks, dust, and gases from space!

Just like how we bake a cake by mixing ingredients in the kitchen, the universe also has special ingredients that mix together to create planets, moons, stars, and galaxies. Cosmochemists study these ingredients to help them understand how space things formed, and how they change over time.

They use special tools, like telescopes mounted on big observatories or even in space, to look at the ingredients in different parts of the universe. They also use instruments called spectrometers that allow them to identify different elements and molecules by the light they emit or absorb.

By studying these different ingredients, scientists can learn about the conditions and events that created them. For example, they might find that a certain meteorite contains lots of iron and nickel, which tells them it could be from a rocky planet core. Or they might discover a special type of gas that can only be produced in certain conditions, like when stars are born!

By understanding the origins of these ingredients, scientists can learn about how our own planet and the rest of the universe came to be. Cosmochemistry helps us piece together the history of the universe, and it’s just as exciting as solving a big puzzle with endless possibilities!