Scientists analyzing recent samples of comet dust say they have discovered minerals that formed near the sun or other stars.

That means materials from the innermost part of the solar system could have traveled to the outer reaches, where comets formed.

The interesting thing is we are finding these high-temperature minerals in materials from the coldest place in the solar system, said Donald Brownlee, a University of Washington astronomer and the lead scientist for NASA’s Stardust mission.

Among the finds in material brought back by Stardust is olivine, a mineral that’s the primary component of the green sand found on some Hawaiian beaches. It is among the most common minerals in the universe, but finding it in comet Wild 2 could challenge a common view of how such crystalline materials form.

Many astronomers believe olivine crystals form from glass when it is heated close to stars. One puzzle is why such crystals came from a comet that formed beyond the orbit of Neptune when the solar system began some 4.6 billion years ago.

Brownlee is presenting findings from NASA’s Stardust sample this week during the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in League City, Texas.