Half-life ofAl26

We have measured the half-life of /sup 26/Al because data on /sup 21/Ne production rates in meteorites has indicated that the half-life may have been too low by 30--40 %. We produced /sup 24/Al using the /sup 26/Mg(p,n)/sup 26/Al reaction on thick natural Mg, the yield being calculated from cross section data. The activity of two such samples was measured with a Ge(Li) detector and the calculated half-life is t/sub 1/2/ = (7.8 +- 0.5) x 10/sup 5/ years, in agreement with the accepted half-life of /sup 26/Al:t/sub 1/2/ = (7.16 +- 0.32) x 10/sup 5/ years. Therefore, another explanation must be found for the anomalous /sup 21/Ne production rate based on /sup 26/Al ages in meteorites.