article_snippet.sent: If the surface was magnetised, we would have expected to see a clear increase in the magnetic field readings as we got closer and closer to the surface,' said Auster. '
article_snippet.sent: Magnetic  data before (top) and after (bottom) the cliff collision at between the first and second touchdowns.
article_snippet.sent: Height above the surface is plotted on the x-axis and magnetic field strength on the y-axis.
article_snippet.sent: The measurements (crosses) are compared with a hypothetical model (solid line) assuming a slightly magnetised surface .
article_snippet.sent: The dust contained an appreciable fraction of iron, some of The dust in the form of magnetite.
article_snippet.sent: Indeed, millimetre-sized grains of magnetic materials have been found in meteorites, indicating millimetre-sized grains of magnetic materials presence in Solar SystemSolar System.
article_snippet.sent: Auster did not find any magnetic field, with a very sensitive instrument, so it seems unlikely that magnetism in the solar nebula was significant for the collection of meter-sized objects,' Treiman said in an email. '
article_snippet.sent: At that scale, it seems likely that electrostatic or gravitational attraction would be stronger.'
article_snippet.sent: Magnetic data providing an estimate of the final landing region.