Australian researchers claim they're close to figuring out the prehistoric phase that led to the birth of the Sun.

An Australian team used radioactivity to date the last time stars produced heavy metals like gold, silver, platinum, lead and some rare elements that are added to the Solar System.

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The result gave the team a clearer understanding of the prehistoric phase of the sun through the use of heavy radioactive nuclei found in meteorites, said Dr. Maria Lugaro from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

The research team used heavy radioactive nuclei to time the final additions, giving them a clearer understanding of the prehistory of the solar system.

Dr. Lugaro said the final one percent of gold, silver and platinum were added to the solar system some 100 million years before the birth of the Sun.

"The final one percent of lead and rare-earth elements, such as those that make your smart phone, was added much later - at most, 30 million years before the birth of the sun," she said.

Researchers believe an incubation period occurred after heavy elements were added to the solar system.

During this period, a stellar nursery was formed creating the Sun and a number of other stars in an incubation period that lasted less than 30 million years.

With this new finding, Dr. Lugaro believes they can figure out the location where the Sun was born, the size of the location and the number of stars born with the Sun.

Dr. Lugaro said they want to have a clear understanding of the circumstances in which the Sun was born and the prehistory of the solar system.

She explained that understanding the timescale and processes that led to the formation of the solar system is key to the birth of the environment.

Published in the journal, Science, the study was made by a team consisting of Dr. Lugaro, Professor Alexander Heger from Monash University and a third year student, Dean Osrin.

The team also included researchers from the University of West Hungary, the Universite' Libre de Bruxelles, the University of Dresden, the Australian National University and the University of Central Lancashire.