I really like this quote from Hans Christian Anderson, “The whole world is a series of miracles, but we’re so used to them we call them ordinary things.” Even though the awareness of meteorites has increased in recent times, all of us inside and outside the meteoriteWork in progress. A solid natural object reaching a planet’s surface from interplanetary space. Solid portion of a meteoroid that survives its fall to Earth, or some other body. Meteorites are classified as stony meteorites, iron meteorites, and stony-iron meteorites. These groups are further divided according to their mineralogy and community still look at these objects in wonder and awe – we never get used to them. We still see them as extraordinary things and I hope that never changes!
Below you’ll findMeteorite not seen to fall, but recovered at some later date. For example, many finds from Antarctica fell 10,000 to 700,000 years ago. a list of reasons why everyone should own a meteorite.
(If you have something to add, comment below)
- It’s a Meteorite!
How many people can say they own a genuine rock from space? Owning a meteorite is perhaps nerdy, but also very cool. How many other things do you own that are as thought-provoking as a meteorite? - Meteorites Are Extraterrestrial Aliens!
They are literally visitors from outer space that traveled for millions, if not billions of years over a large expanse of our solar systemThe Sun and set of objects orbiting around it including planets and their moons and rings, asteroids, comets, and meteoroids. before landing on Earth. - Meteorites Are Great Conversation Pieces.
Put it on your coffee table at home or on your desk at work, and you’ll be amazed at the attention it will draw. People will ask you about it constantly and it will give you an excuse to explain how it got here and gives people insights into what you enjoy. - Meteorites Make You Smarter.
Or at least they make you seem smarter … ;-) When people ask you where you got the meteorite you can explain all kinds of cool scientific stuff about space, planets, gravityAttractive force between all matter - one of the four fundamental forces., and the meteorite hurtling through our atmosphere, crashing into our planetThe term "planet" originally comes from the Greek word for "wanderer" since these objects were seen to move in the sky independently from the background of fixed stars that moved together through the seasons. The IAU last defined the term planet in 2006, however the new definition has remained controversial. and somehow through many adventures ended up in your hands. Some meteorites have been on Earth since long before our planet was inhabited by humans, and some meteorites contain material from the earliest years in our solar systems formation … 4.67 billion years ago. - Meteorites Changed Life As We Know It!
They certainly changed my life for the better though the dinosaurs of 65 M years ago may have a different opinion. The fact is the Chicxulub impact killed the large dinosaurs and forever changed life on this planet. Can you imagine sharing your neighborhood with the dinosaurs had that giant impact not occurred? Well, turns out some of us do, as chickens and others birds descended from dinosaurs. - Meteorites Have Super Powers.
Meteorites have the ability to take us backwards through time, peer through thousands of km of rock and make life-giving soup. Various meteorites under study and in collections contain material intact from most every stage of our solar system’s history, allowing scientist to look back in time. Scientists can also evaluate what Earth’s coreIn the context of planetary formation, the core is the central region of a large differentiated asteroid, planet or moon and made up of denser materials than the surrounding mantle and crust. For example, the cores of the Earth, the terrestrial planets and differentiated asteroids are rich in metallic iron-nickel. looks like by studying iron meteorites that originate from the cores of other parent bodies destroyed in violent collisions. Finally, meteorites provided much of the water and prebiotics to the Earth in a primordial soup that set the stage for life on our planet. - Collecting Meteorites is an Amazing Hobby.
Whether starting a collection or adding to an existing one, collecting meteorites is just plain fun and awe inspiring. It doesn’t matter if you’re collecting because you like their aesthetic shapes, collecting samples for your own scientific curiosity, or collecting because you want every meteorite from the state or country you are from. Just beware that collecting meteorites can easily become an obsession! Some people collect for personal reasons, some for profit, but most collect meteorites because they are pieces of past worlds and witnesses to our solar system’s entire history. Whatever the reason to buy that one meteorite as a gift or try to collect them all, meteorites have the power to touch something deep within us all – something bigger than ourselves that can augment the ways in which we find meaning and purpose, and potentially help us understand more about who we are and why we’re here. - The Meteorite Community is Very Supportive & Fun
One of the reasons I personally became so involved with meteorites was because of the way more seasoned collectors, dealers and scientists helped me grow and supported my efforts. Like any activity, you get out of it what you put into it, but there are wonderful forums, FB groups and individuals that will help you get to whatever level of education and experience you desire. I feel so grateful for the bonds and real life friendships I have made with people literally around the world. Come to the Tucson show in Arizona, attend Ensisheim in France or any of the mineralInorganic substance that is (1) naturally occurring (but does not have a biologic or man-made origin) and formed by physical (not biological) forces with a (2) defined chemical composition of limited variation, has a (3) distinctive set of of physical properties including being a solid, and has a (4) homogeneous shows where meteorite dealers are present and you will see how much fun can be had. - Meteorites Make Great Gifts!
Buy a bunch and give them away as gifts. Meteorites do not have to be expensive to be memorable. They make great one of a kind gifts no one would ever expect. It’ll be the best gift and most talked about at birthday parties. But be careful though when giving meteorites as gifts, some people may become a bit jealous if your gift outshines theirs. Of course it will, so be prepared. Just a friendly warning!
This post is based, in part, on content licensed from E. Wichman from the defunct website www.meteoritesUSA.com that was purchased by SkyFall Meteorites.