Scientists from Japan and Italy have confirmed when Jupiter, the largest planet, was born. The breakthrough comes from studying ancient meteorites on Earth, revealing Jupiter formed about 1.8 million years after the solar system began, 4.6 billion years ago.

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• Jupiter birth time finally confirmed
• Study by Nagoya University and INAF
• Meteorites hold key clues in chondrules
• Violent planetesimal collisions melted rock
• Steam blasts from water shaped droplets
• Chondrule size, cooling rates match Jupiter timeline
• Peak chondrule formation at 1.8 million years
• Jupiter grew massive in same time window
• Evidence preserved in meteorites as time capsules
• Findings help trace birth of other planets too