Meteorites, collecting a piece of heaven

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Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket

I've been fascinated by meteors since I saw The Blob at my local film theatre. The year was 1959 and the fear of invasion from outer space was very real to me.

Just 10 years later a large meteorite fell about 80 km away from my town and, the skies being clear on that Spring night, I watched horror-struck with visions of a gelatinous creature oozing from the space rock.

These days I'm not afraid of meteorites, in fact I collect bits and pieces of them.

Collecting meteorites is a a fascinating hobby. Buying meteorites is an investment.

 

When you hold a meteorite in your hand, you're holding a particle from the formation of the solar system.

Meteorites, Meteroids and Meteors 

From time to time, a rock falls from space and hits the Earth - this is a meteorite. If it doesn't collided with the Earth, it's a meteoroid.

When a meteoroid falls, it heats up in the atmosphere and leaves a trail of glowing molten rock. We see that and call it a meteor.

Small rocks can be destroyed by the atmosphere and never hit the earth but some bigger ones do and, when they hit, can make an incredibly big crater!

 



Meteor Crater in Arizona

Barringer Crater, near Winslow, Arizona, was formed about 50,000 years ago by an iron meteor about 30-50 metres in diameter. The crater itself is 1200 metres in diameter and 200 metres deep.

The Blob 

Beware of the Blob! It's a joy to watch!

The ultimate 1950s teenagers-battle-creatures movie, in which a youthful Steven McQueen (who would shortly decide that "Steve" sounded better) and his girlfriend try to save their town from an undulating pink mass of jello which eats people!

And no one believes the teenagers!

There's a superb scene which quite frightened me at the time, when the Blob sneaks into a movie theatre, and the crowd stampedes out screaming, some with their 3D glasses still glued to their face. Believe me, watching that in a movie theatre was pretty creepy.

I almost broke my ribs laughing when I saw that film 46 years later. It's a classic!

The Blob - Criterion Collection

Amazon Price: $28.99 (as of 11/11/2009)Buy Now

A wonderful example of 1950s sci fi, it's not just a hoot to watch, it's actually very well done and a heck of a lot of wholesome fun.

(Don't be too shocked when the teenagers break curfew!)

The final showdown between the blob and a terrified family is superb.

A Meteor falling in Western Australia 

A Meteor captured on camera as it burns across the sky and then falls as a meteorite.

powered by Youtube

Where do you find a meteorite? 

Although not many meteorites are seen hitting the ground and most fall into the sea, thousands are found each year.

Meteorites can be found all over the world, but are easiest to spot in dry places, such as deserts , where they don't erode quickly and are less likely to be obscured by vegetation.

The Murchison Meteorite 

I saw it fall!


A chunk of the Murchison Meteorite

The Murchison Meteorite fell on September 28, 1969 over Murchison, Victoria in Australia. A bright fireball was seen, separating into three fragments, followed by a large cloud of smoke.

Lots of specimens were found over an area larger than 13 sq. kilometres. These specimens weighed in from 7 kg, and one big chunk weighing 680 g broke through a roof and fell into a stack of hay. Over 100 kg of this meteorite were found.

What's so fascinating about the Murchison Meteorite is the presence of organic compounds. More than 92 different amino acids have been identified to date, but only 19 of these are found on Earth.

The remaining amino acids have no apparent terrestrial source. We're getting close to the Blob here!

Find a Micrometeorite on your roof 

Easier to find than you think

Micrometeorites can fall on your roof!

Rainwater will wash particles off of a roof and they collect at the drain spout. Tile roofs are best since they drain very well and don't produce many other sorts of particles or debris. However dust, plants and all other sorts of airborne material also collect at the drain spout.

To find the metallic micrometeorites, collect and dry some of the material from a deep bowl at the base of the drain spout.

Remove leaves and other debris, place the remaining material on a piece of paper and place a magnet under the paper.

Tilt and tap the paper so that all of the non-metallic particles fall off. Many of the remaining metallic particles are pieces of space dust!

Place the paper under a microscope. (You need high power to see them clearly).

Most of the particles are not from space, but the micrometeorites will show signs of their fiery trip through the atmosphere. They will be rounded and may have small pits on their surfaces.

How to Find a Meteorite 

For Those Who Can Travel The World To Collect Their Own Meteorites!


How to Find a Meteorite
from wikiHow - Meteorites

Meteorites fall on earth every day, although most fall out of reach to people or are microscopic. But within the visible range, it's not impossible to find one.
Steps
  1. Know what a meteorite looks like and what are its properties, so that you can easily distinguish one from every other rock. There are 3 major types of meteorites: stony, iron, and stony-irons, but there are usually a few properties that apply to most meteorites, although they might be hard to recognize. Some of the properties that make a meteorite distinguishable are:
    • They are black and or dark brown, burnt from their speedy entrance into the atmosphere when their exterior melts.
    • They have a solid like metal feel to them, as opposed to the "crumbly" feel of normal rocks.
    • They all set off metal detectors due to their high metal content except for planetary originated meteorites such as those from the moon or mars.
    • They are ferromagnetic, meaning a magnet will be attracted to them either lightly or strongly (although Martian and lunar meteorites are exceptions to this characteristic)

Find a Meteorite on eBay 

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eBay

 

Rober Haag, Collector of Space Gems
Meteorites for sale and photos of meteorites from the personal collection of Robert Haag.

Meteorite Videos 

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Diogenite Meteorites

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How about you? 

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I collect fossil Shark teeth too 

From the unimaginable distances of far off galaxies to the just as unimaginable distances of Time.

I wish I could collect antique doll house furniture 

When I win the lottery

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You can also vote for this lens in Carnival of Squid - June 30 Meteor Day

Ramkitten wrote...

I'm revisiting this lens now that I've been up close and personal with a meteorite. We just had quite a show here in Flagstaff, Arizona on Saturday night/Sunday morning. And it appeared that pieces hit the ground in the area, though nothing has been found yet. I know the meteorite hunters are out in full force.

ReplyPosted April 27, 2009

CollectorsCottage wrote...

SO interesting!! Makes me wonder if I've ever overlooked one of these treasures... Welcome to the Collector Club group!

ReplyPosted April 17, 2009

James20 wrote...

I love meteorites. I have always wanted to find one. Here in Minnesota it would be hard to find one unless you see were it hit the ground. This is a great lens on this. 5*

ReplyPosted March 26, 2009

view all 6 comments

 

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Thanks very much for dropping by to read about meteorites and how to collect them. You're more than welcome to leave a note in the guest book above and, if you're a member of Squidoo, you can also rate this lens :)

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G'day from Melbourne, Australia where I look for my own falling stars.
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