Meteorite News Headlines

O. Richard Norton 1937 - 2009

Fri, 29 May 2009 12:57:51 -0700

O. Richard Norton passed away at Hospice House in Bend, Oregon, on May 17 after a long illness. A life-long educator and the author of popular books and articles about meteorites, astronomy and planetariums, Richard discovered his life’s passion when he built his first telescope at 14. His love for the sky and all things astronomical led him from an after-school job at Cave Optical Company in Long Beach, California, to a career in public science education.

While studying astronomy and meteoritics at UCLA, he was a lecturer at Griffith Observatory and Planetarium in Los Angeles. In 1957 he worked at the Nevada Test Site as a field researcher for the Atomic Energy Commission. There he witnessed the last 10 above-ground nuclear explosions and conducted research at the test site on the ecological effects of radiation. After graduation in 1960, he worked briefly as an optical engineer at Northrop Corporation and Tinsley Laboratories.

But he soon returned to his beloved planetariums. After 2 years at Morrison Planetarium in San Francisco, in 1963 he became Director of the University of Nevada’s Fleischmann Planetarium in Reno, where he also taught astronomy. There Richard designed the world’s first 35mm fisheye motion picture system, called the Atmospherium, which was used to project realistic time-lapse motion pictures of developing weather systems onto the interior of a planetarium dome. His first book, The Planetarium and Atmospherium, An Indoor Universe, was published in 1969. He was a planetarium design engineer and consultant for Minolta Camera Company in Osaka, Japan. Richard became the founding director of the University of Arizona’s Flandrau Planetarium in 1973, where he continued teaching and co-designed a fisheye projection camera system which flew on the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1984, producing the first full sky motion pictures from space. In 1978 he started Science Graphics, a company that manufactured sets of teaching slides in astronomy and other sciences for use in college level courses.

Richard loved teaching and sharing his enthusiasm for astronomy, the space program, photography, geology and telescope making. He gave public lectures and taught community education classes, even venturing into the Arizona State Penitentiary to teach in maximum security and protective custody. He led field trips to Cape Canaveral, where he had his fisheye cameras at most Apollo launches, and on solar eclipse trips around the world, from Mexico to Romania.

In 1986 he moved to Bend, where he taught astronomy at Central Oregon Community College for 7 years. In Bend he rediscovered his early passion for meteorites. His book Rocks From Space was published in 1994, followed by The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Meteorites in 2002. His wife Dorothy Sigler Norton, who is a scientific illustrator, produced the illustrations and cover designs. The Field Guide to Meteors and Meteorites, published in 2008, was co-authored with Bend geologist Lawrence Chitwood. Many of Richard’s meteorites are on display at the Sunriver Nature Center in Sunriver, Oregon.

Richard loved classical music and had studied piano since the age of 7. In Bend he started a series of concerts called the Four Seasons, which were held for more than 10 years at the Norton home on the equinoxes and solstices.

Richard is survived by his wife Dorothy, his sister Gloria Berg, three children from previous marriages and a granddaughter.

METEORITE MEN

Mon, 4 May 2009 17:23:08 -0700

SCIENCE CHANNEL’S METEORITE MEN TAKES VIEWERS ON
QUEST FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL TREASURE

-- New One-Hour Special World Premieres Sunday, May 10, 2009 at 9 PM (ET/PT) --

(Silver Spring, Md.) – For thousands of years meteorites have slammed into the earth’s surface,
each one carrying an invaluable record of the very beginnings of the solar system. But finding
meteorites, some buried over centuries by thick layers of dirt and sediment, is no easy task.
SCIENCE CHANNEL’S METEORITE MEN TAKES VIEWERS ON
QUEST FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL TREASURE

-- New One-Hour Special World Premieres Sunday, May 10, 2009 at 9 PM (ET/PT) --

(Silver Spring, Md.) – For thousands of years meteorites have slammed into the earth’s surface,
each one carrying an invaluable record of the very beginnings of the solar system. But finding
meteorites, some buried over centuries by thick layers of dirt and sediment, is no easy task.
Now, Science Channel is bringing viewers on a search for these alien treasures and revealing
these lost pieces of our universe for the first time in METEORITE MEN, world premiering
Sunday, May 10 at 9 PM (ET/PT).

Modern day treasure hunters Geoff Notkin and Steve Arnold have travelled the world for years
to search as a team for remnants of ancient meteorites. In METEORITE MEN, viewers find
the pair in Brenham, Kansas where for more than a century pieces of a large meteorite that fell
thousands of years ago have been unearthed.

GIA Helps Science Channel - Meteorite Men

Wed, 6 May 2009 09:46:14 -0700

Science Channel treasure hunters Geoff Notkin and Steve Arnold travel the world searching for meteorites, including fragments of one particular variety that needed the expert analysis of gemologists at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

The fragments in question, according to John Koivula, GIA’s chief gemologist and an expert on extraterrestrial and terrestrial gems, are from a rare stony-iron meteorite known as a pallasite, which contains glassy-looking crystalline fragments of transparent to translucent olivine. These were captured as inclusions in a massive network of two solid elemental metals, nickel and iron.

University, museum looking for meteorites in Ontario.

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:13:45 -0700

NEWMARKET, Ont. - People north of Toronto are being asked to lend a helping hand in tracking meteorite fragments that are suspected to have landed in the Newmarket area over the weekend.

The University of Western Ontario and the Royal Ontario Museum are looking for meteorites that likely fell from a fireball in the sky just after 8:30 p.m. Sunday.

The university's southern Ontario Meteor Network has five cameras that captured the fireball as it crossed the night sky. Fragments are believed to have fallen between Newmarket and Lake Simcoe.

The meteorite hunt is on

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:13:07 -0700

TORONTO — The hunt is on for meteorites that blazed to Earth last month and landed on rural land north of Newmarket, Ont.

The Royal Ontario Museum and University of Western Ontario have identified a 100-square-kilometre zone as the most likely debris range, stretching south-east of Mt. Albert to the edge of South Wynhurst, on the shores of Lake Simcoe.

Now, researchers have issued a call for meteorite-hunters and interested locals to start scouring the ground.

"Any time there's a fireball that looks like it's producing meteorites, we get quite excited because there's material to be recovered," said Royal Ontario Museum associate curator of mineralogy Kim Tait.

Search on for Toronto-area meteorite bits

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:12:19 -0700

TORONTO, April 29 (UPI) -- Canadians living north and northeast of Toronto are being asked to help search for meteorite fragments from a fireball last month.

In a release, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and the University of Western Ontario in London said analysis of a network of sky camera footage shows a slow-moving fireball swept eastward on March 15 at 8:37 p.m. near the small city of Newmarket.

Scientists on lookout for meteorites south of Lake Simcoe

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:11:59 -0700

Ontario scientists are looking for help in tracking down meteorite fragments they believe fell to Earth last month in an area just south of Lake Simcoe.

Five cameras from the University of Western Ontario's Southern Ontario Meteor Network recorded a fireball in the evening sky on March 15 at 8:37 p.m. ET.

Scientists at Western and the Royal Ontario Museum said Tuesday its modest brightness and slow descent suggest it may have dropped small meteorites in a region between Lake Simcoe and Newmarket, Ont., north of Toronto.

These meteorites may have a total mass of as much as a few hundred grams

Public asked to help find meteorite that fell in Newmarket, Ont., area March 15

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:10:52 -0700

TORONTO — Small meteorites may have been dropped on southern Ontario by a fireball that streaked through the sky north of Toronto.

Researchers are anxious to retrieve any possible fragments of what's believed to have been a meteorite that appeared over Newmarket, Ont., just after 8:30 p.m. ET on March 15. The Royal Ontario Museum and The University of Western Ontario are now asking residents in the area for their help in finding the space debris.

Five cameras recorded a slow fireball which may have dropped small meteorites in a region between Newmarket and Lake Simcoe.

Do you have a meteorite in your backyard?

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:09:36 -0700

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and The University of Western Ontario are looking for help from local residents in recovering a meteorite that fell to earth in the Newmarket, Ont. area

Texas Dog Finds Rock From Outer Space - March 11, 2009

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:38:45 -0700

The call was from meteorite hunter Ruben Garcia who was seeking permission to hunt the land behind the Alligood/Bynum home when his hunting companion, Sonny Clary saw a two ounce meteorite sitting on the porch. With a little work they reached Alligood by phone at the car dealership where she works. “Did you know you have a meteorite on your porch?” said Garcia. “You mean the rock that Hopper found” replied Alligood.

“Ruben found the meteorite on the porch and the rest is history” Pauline Alligood

Meteorite hunter donates rare find - March 6, 2009

Fri, 6 Mar 2009 11:02:24 -0700

A meteorite hunter from Portland is donating part of a recent find to Portland State University.
Video: Fireball during Texas marathon

When Patrick Thompson heard about it, he decided to spend eight days looking for parts of the meteor and he was successful. After searching on foot an average of 25 miles a day, he ended up finding 14 fragments of the meteorite.

Professional meteorite hunters thank dog for find - Feb 27, 2009

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:35:15 -0700

Meteorite hunters believe the sulfurous smell of the meteorite may have prompted Hopper to pick up the meteorite, or perhaps she just saw it bouncing and fetched it. Another possible explanation is that some dogs have a rock gathering trait.

News 8’s Bonnie Gonzalez speaks to one meteorite hunter and his new-found four-legged friend, Hopper.

Meteorite hunter Rob Wesel, from Portland, Ore., bought the rock, and like the rest of his fellow hunters, has become quite attached to the furry finder.

The Czech meteorite connection - Feb 26, 2009

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:45:32 -0700

Today’s front-page story on the meteorite hunt going on in northern McLennan County around West is one of the most enjoyable, albeit exhausting, stories I’ve gotten to do as a journalist. Plus, any excuse to go to the CzechStop for kolaches works for me. My heritage is Czech, even if I lost some consonants in my last name somewhere on the way.

Meteorite hunters are scouring north McLennan County... - Feb 26, 2009

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:44:20 -0700

Meteorite hunters have descended in droves to the countryside surrounding this farming community, searching for the elusive pieces from a fireball that flared across the daytime sky over Central Texas and then broke apart.

SPOTLIGHT METEORITE HUNTERS - Feb 23, 2009

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:41:23 -0700

FT. WORTH — As the first TV images of a meteor breaking apart over central Texas were aired Feb. 15, meteorite hunters around the world started grabbing their maps and booking flights. "I saw it within two hours of it happening on CNN," said meteorite hunter Michael Farmer of Tucson, Ariz. "By Tuesday, I was on a plane to Texas."

Amateur astronomer finds meteorites near Waco Feb 22, 2009

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:39:51 -0700

Now there's actual physical proof that it was a meteor. Amateur astronomer Doug Dawn and his team say they were able to find meteorites. Dawn's team analyzed the video footage shot by News 8 photographer Eddie Garcia. Dawn said there was a lot of information available in the film and it helped with calculations of where the material was coming from.

Space rock detected ahead of collision with Earth Feb 20, 2009

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:38:44 -0700

Scientists have, for the first time, detected a space rock ahead of a collision with Earth, watched it streak through the atmosphere, and then recovered pieces of it.

An analysis of the meteorites could shed light on conditions in the early solar system more than 4 billion years ago.

Meteorite hunters flock to West area

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:28:15 -0700

As the first television images of a meteor breaking apart over Central Texas were aired Sunday, meteorite hunters from around the world started grabbing their maps and booking flights

UNT astronomers say they found 2 samples of meteor Feb 18 2009

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 20:12:08 -0700

DALLAS — Two samples of fresh material the "size of large pecans" from a meteor that alarmed numerous residents when it streaked across the Texas sky on Sunday have been found by two University of North Texas astronomers in a pasture east of West.

Texans Hear Sonic Boom, See Fireball; U.S. Strategic Command Says It Was Probably A Meteorite

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 08:58:34 -0700

The U.S. Strategic Command said it was likely a meteorite or other natural phenomenon. The agency says it has been monitoring the space debris from the recent collision of two Russian and U.S. satellites in space, and that none of the debris was in the vicinity of where the fireball appeared.

Two newly discovered meteorites may rewrite the book on how some asteroids form and evolve - Jan 12, 2009

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:29:06 -0700

Asteroids are hunks of rock that orbit in the outer reaches of space, and scientists have generally assumed that their small size limited the types of rock that could form in their crusts. But two newly discovered meteorites may rewrite the book on how some asteroids form and evolve.

Fireball streaks across night sky over Merced - Dec 30, 2008

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:01:05 -0700

A glowing tomato-green fireball shot through the black Merced sky early Saturday, stunning those fortunate enough to see its brief life.

Merced resident Erika Knorn, 42, had awoken just before 2 a.m. to take her dog, Shadow, to the bathroom before returning to bed... Based on the descriptions he's read, Ward said Knorn and others probably saw a fireball, which is a brighter version of a meteor. Meteorites can be the size of microwave ovens and even refrigerators, he said. They travel between 11,000 and 30,000 miles an hour.

Mr-Meteorite Ruben Garcia's meteorite articles and videos now on The Meteorite Exchange, Inc.

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 12:20:40 -0700

Ruben Garcia, known as Mr Meteorite has moved his collection of meteorite articles and meteorite video links to The Meteorite Exchange, Inc. website under the Meteorite Information menu.

Scientists find meteor debris in Canada - Nov 28, 2008

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:17:48 -0700

LLOYDMINSTER, Alberta (AP) — Scientists said Friday they had found remains of a meteor that illuminated the sky before falling to earth in western Canada earlier this month.

University of Calgary scientist Alan Hildebrand and graduate student Ellen Milley found several meteor fragments near the Battle River along the rural Alberta-Saskatchewan border, near the city of Lloydminster late Thursday.

They said there could be thousands of meteorite pieces strewn over a 7-square-mile area of mostly flat, barren land, with few inhabitants.

Meteorite pieces found in Saskatchewan - Nov 28, 2008

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 08:54:04 -0700

Fragments of a huge meteorite that lit up the skies across Alberta and Saskatchewan last week have been found near the border city of Lloydminster, University of Calgary scientists say.

U of C planetary scientist Dr. Alan Hildebrand and graduate student Ellen Milley said Friday morning they located several meteorite fragments late Thursday afternoon.

They believe thousands of meteorite bits are strewn over a 20-square-kilometre area near the Battle River.

Canadian searchers find remains of fireball meteor - Nov 28, 2008

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 08:53:30 -0700

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Searchers have found the remains of a 10-ton meteor that produced a dramatic fireball in the skies over the Canadian Prairies this month, researchers said on Friday.

Thousands of meteorite fragments have been found densely strewn over a 20-square-kilometre (8 square mile) area south of the community of Lloydminster on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, according to the University of Calgary.

Meteor lights Sask. sky - Nov 21, 2008

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:06:07 -0700

A flash in the sky has many people in Western Canada asking questions.

According the RCMP in Lloydminster, a meteor fell from the northern skies at around 5:30 p.m. Thursday. It was visible from Edmonton, east from Lloydminister and into Saskatchewan, and as far south as the Regina area.

Fire ball screams across the prairies - Nov 21, 2008

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:02:49 -0700

It's clear what most people across Alberta, Saskatchewan, even pockets of residents in Manitoba and North Dakota were talking about Thursday night.

Shortly after 5:30 p.m. local Mountain Time, CTV newsrooms and various media outlets were inundated with calls and emails that a giant fireball had streaked across the sky.

It's believed to be a meteor, but according to Alan Dyer with the Telus World of Science in Calgary, confirmation of what it was and where it landed may not be known for a few more days.

Great ball of fire sighted - Nov 21, 2008

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:01:39 -0700

Prairie astronomers are investigating following last night's excitement about a ball of fire observed shooting from the northern sky.

Alan Dyer, an astronomer with Calgary's Telus World of Science, said sky-watchers will gather all the photographs and videos taken from various observation points to study the mysterious celestial show last night.

People who saw the huge flaming ball reported it possibly fell somewhere between Alberta and Saskatchewan.

About 5:30 p.m., a huge flash of light briefly turned the dark sky into daylight.

Meteorite investigators will focus in the area of Lloydminster and North Battleford, Sask., where reports of house-shaking came from, said Dyer.

Possible Meteorite Strike in Western Canada - Nov 20, 2008

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:03:48 -0700

People from Edmonton right through Saskatchewan and into Manitoba report having seen a fireball in the sky this evening.

Callers from every part of the province have given News Talk Radio their reactions.

In Lloydminster, people got so excited that RCMP issued a news release asking people to stop calling them. In the release, Mounties say that 'initial reports indicate that it was a meteor which fell from the northern skies.'

Fiery meteorite wows Western Canada Nov 21, 2008

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:58:48 -0700

An intensely bright and colorful meteorite lit up the skies over the western Canadian province of Alberta and sparked hundreds of emergency calls to police.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and local forces all began receiving calls around 5:30 p. m. Thursday, and some reports were called in from Manitoba to the east, the Edmonton Sun reported

Various people described the object as orange, green, yellow, purple or blue, the Edmonton Journal said.

That plane crash you thought you saw in Madison? Might have been a meteorite. Nov. 14 2008

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:43:52 -0700

MADISON TOWNSHIP -- Several local police departments and the State Highway Patrol searched with helicopters and manpower looking for what they thought might be a crashed ultralight plane Thursday afternoon.

Despite four hours of searching, officials found no plane and now believe the trailing light that witnesses saw fall across the sky may have been a meteor.

Madison Township police said they received several calls from witnesses who saw a red light flash across the sky with dark smoke trailing behind it near Townline Road and South Ridge Roads sometime after 2:20 p.m.

Meteorite hunter says search not worth it - Oct 20, 2008

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 08:41:37 -0700

Residents in the area of Wallace Rockhole - west of Alice Springs - reported bright lights, the sound of an explosion and even feeling an earth tremor.

Geoscience Australia has confirmed it was almost certainly a meteorite.

But Michael Farmer, a hunter for Arizona, says under Australian legislation meteorites are considered protected property and this discourages fossickers.

Meteor rocks NT in blaze of light - Oct 18, 2008

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 09:37:28 -0700

TERRITORIANS were treated to an unexpected spectacle on Friday night.

What is believed to be a meteorite crashed near Wallace Rockhole near Hermannsburg, and was seen from as far away as Darwin.

Alice Springs Police received a report about 7pm of something that looked like a flare, but could not find anything. One Darwin stargazer described it as like nothing he had seen before.

NASA tracks meteorite before entering atmosphere for first time - Oct 7, 2008

Tue, 7 Oct 2008 07:41:47 -0700

NASA said Tuesday that its scientists had calculated a meteorite's trajectory and tracked its entry into Earth's atmosphere for the first time in the history of space exploration.

The 2-meter meteorite entered the atmosphere over Sudan at about 02:46 GMT Tuesday and broke into fiery fragments seconds later.

Space voyaging rock reveals insight into detecting life on other planets Oct 2 2008

Sun, 5 Oct 2008 09:53:19 -0700

The specially prepared slab of rock was launched into space attached to a Russian spacecraft by University of Aberdeen experts in September last year as part of a European Space Agency mission.

Studies of the quarter of the rock which survived the journey have shown that if it had landed as a meteorite on another far distant planet and been tested by an alien life form, its chemical formations would have shown that life exists on other planets.

Life may be hiding inside white-coloured meteorites on Mars - Oct 1, 2008

Sun, 5 Oct 2008 09:55:57 -0700

London, October 1 (ANI): A new study has suggested that scientists searching for life on Mars, should scout for white-coloured meteorites made of sedimentary rock.
According to a report in New Scientist, two rocks dropped from orbit by the European Space Agency (ESA) have shown that such meteorites can carry and protect traces of life from the heat of atmospheric re-entry and the shock of impact with the surface.

Artificial Meteorite Shows Martian Impactors Could Carry Traces Of Life 9/29/2008

Sun, 5 Oct 2008 09:47:31 -0700

An artificial meteorite designed by the European Space Agency has shown that traces of life in a martian meteorite could survive the violent heat and shock of entry into the Earth's atmosphere. The experiment's results also suggest that meteorite hunters should widen their search to include white rocks if we are to find traces of life in martian meteorites.

Meteorite experiment deals blow to 'bugs from space' theory - Sept 24, 2008

Sun, 5 Oct 2008 09:44:43 -0700

A novel experiment has dealt a setback to a theory that life on Earth was kick started by bacteria that hitched a ride on space rocks.

The "pan-spermia" hypothesis is that cells were transported to the infant Earth on rocks that were bumped off other planets or even came from another star system.

The theory gained a boost in 1996 when a group of US scientists proposed that a famous meteorite found in Antarctica held traces of fossilised bacteria that once lived on Mars.

Seeking to find out more, European scientists have devised "artificial meteorites" to see what happens when rocks bearing fossil traces and living bacteria are exposed to the fiery heat of entering Earth's atmosophere.

Stone-6 Artificial Meteorite Shows Martian Impactors Could Carry Traces Of Life

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 18:30:46 -0700

Earth's Cosmic Dust

Tue, 9 Sep 2008 08:03:04 -0700

The origin of the microscopic meteorites that make up cosmic dust has been revealed for the first time in new research out 1 September 2008.

Meteorite Fast Track

Tue, 9 Sep 2008 08:01:01 -0700

For the last few years, astronomers have faced a puzzle: The vast majority of asteroids that come near the Earth are of a type that matches only a tiny fraction of the meteorites that most frequently hit our planet. Since meteorites are mostly pieces of asteroids, this discrepancy was hard to explain, but a team from MIT and other institutions has now found what it believes is the answer to the puzzle.

Moon and Mars Meteorites

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:32:35 -0700

It seems that when the discussion of Martian and Lunar meteorites comes up two questions are always asked. First how do they get to Earth? And second...

Ecocentre camera will help track meteorites

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:42:35 -0700

The St. Thomas University professor was in town Thursday to install a special "all-sky" movie camera onto the roof of the French Fort Cove Eco-centre that will track meteors as they burn up in the atmosphere.

While he hopes the data gathered will help his research into meteorite impact craters, that is not the camera's main purpose.

Discovery explains why asteroids and meteorites are different

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:31:55 -0700

Meteorites that fall to Earth usually come directly from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, rather than from the population of larger space rocks that drifted in from the asteroid belt's innermost edge to hang around our planet's neighborhood.

10 Greatest Major-Impact Craters on Earth

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 23:05:20 -0700

Imagine staring into the sky and seeing a tiny yellow dot, gradually getting closer. That dot doubles in size every second, until it slowly darkens the sky. You realize that this dot is actually the size...

What Is So Special About Meteorites

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:58:01 -0700

The Earth’s mass is 6,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000 kilograms, roughly speaking and that is a lot of kilos. But tomorrow it will be just a little greater. Because today like everyday some rocks and dust fall into our gravity well and get caught. Most of this material will end up in the oceans since three-fourths of the Earth...

Markets not only things that crash - July 16. 2008

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:04:57 -0700

THIS month marked the 100th anniversary of the Tunguska explosion in Siberia. If you weren’t celebrating, you should have been. The incident was probably the nearest we have come to extinction in modern human history — and we survived.

Chance to buy a piece of the cosmos - July 15, 2008

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:03:28 -0700

VISITORS to Seacombe Spaceport have a chance to hold a piece of the cosmos in the palm of their hands.

The meteorites, which have just gone on sale, are millions of years old and crashed landed in some of the Earth’s most remote locations.

Source Of The Most Common Meteorites Discovered

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:58:41 -0700

When observing with the GEMINI telescopes, two astronomers from Brazil and the United States discovered for the first time asteroids that are similar to “ordinary chondrites”, the most common meteorites found on Earth.

Meteor Right or Meteor Wrong

Sat, 5 Jul 2008 09:55:15 -0700

How do you know that a rock that you have found is a meteorite or not?

Meteorites have some characteristics that allow us a short list of easy tests to get started on their identification. See if you rock has any of these features and if it does you may be on your way to having discovered a new rock from space.

Fireball seen in county skies

Sat, 5 Jul 2008 09:50:41 -0700

Robert Lunsford, a volunteer who has spent 40 years tracking fireballs for the American Meteorological Society in Southern California, said the object may have been a distant cousin of the meteorite that some scientists believe flattened 830 square miles in Siberia — known as the Tunguska Event — almost exactly 100 years ago, on June 30, 1908.

Fossils of early Earth life may be on the Moon

Sat, 5 Jul 2008 09:49:59 -0700

NEW YORK: Evidence of the earliest forms of life on Earth may actually be scattered across the lunar landscape as meteorites, British scientists believe.

100 Years of Space Rock: The Tunguska Impact - June 27, 2008

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:55:21 -0700

"If you want to start a conversation with anyone in the asteroid business all you have to say is Tunguska," said Don Yeomans, manager of the Near-Earth Object Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "It is the only entry of a large meteoroid we have in the modern era with first-hand accounts."

Tunguska Event still a mystery 100 years on - June 26, 2008

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:52:47 -0700

On June 30, 2008, the world will mark the 100th anniversary of the “Tunguska event”, when a large meteoroid or comet fragment exploded near the Podkamennaya (Lower Stony) Tunguska River in East Siberia. This is the only meteor impact in recorded history comparable to a nuclear explosion.

Tektites - Out of this World Natural Glass

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:50:40 -0700

Tektites are collected for their unique shapes and textures as natural oddities. They are glass. They are however, not glass like any other natural glass found on Earth. They form when asteroid hit the Earth...

Giant meteorite found in Sweden - June 13, 2008

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:49:30 -0700

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, June 13 (UPI) -- A massive meteorite weighing a staggering 2,607 pounds has been found near the northern Swedish village of Kitkiojarvi, officials say.

Thomas Osterberg, one of the two people who found it, said it was the biggest meteorite ever found in Sweden, the Swedish news agency TT reported.

Meteorite shaped like Michigan sells for $20,000 at auction - June 9, 2008

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:59:08 -0700

A 75-pound nickel-and-iron meteorite resembling Michigan's Lower Peninsula sold at auction Sunday for $20,000, less than its expected price of $32,500 to $40,000.

Michigan native Darryl Pitt, the meteorite's owner, says he was disappointed by the low price. He says the anonymous buyer got a bargain. Pitt believes the space rock is worth $50,000.

State-shaped meteorite to be auctioned Sunday - June 5, 2008

Thu, 5 Jun 2008 09:48:47 -0700

Think of it as a space rock shaped like a mitten.

A 75-pound nickel and iron meteorite that resembles Michigan's Lower Peninsula will go on the auction block Sunday in Dallas.

The meteorite is expected to sell for between $32,500 and $40,000 at Heritage Auction Galleries.

It was recovered seven years ago from a site in Argentina.

Owner Darryl Pitt grew up in Southfield and is now the curator of New York's Macovich Collection of meteorites.

He first examined the rock shortly after it was discovered and noticed right away that it resembled his home state -- minus the Upper Peninsula. He said he bought it as a "fun object."

Meteorite Man Seeks Life in Cosmic Rocks - May 29, 2008

Thu, 29 May 2008 14:22:30 -0700

When Robert Haag was 9 years old, he witnessed a spectacular sight in the air above a beach in Mexico. It was a meteor -- a bright fireball that began his lifelong fascination with these bits of outer space that sometimes fall to Earth.

Haag, now 52, is one of the best-known collectors of meteorites in the world. For the last 30 years, he's bought, sold, traded and donated meteorites to museums, planetariums, universities and private collections.

"Meteorites gave me the opportunity to participate in the space program in my own way," he said.

New Mysteries Regarding Origins of ‘Space Pistols - May 27, 2008

Tue, 27 May 2008 09:15:27 -0700

New research has led scientists to doubt an age-old legend that accompanies a 200-year-old pair of dueling pistols.

The pistols were said to have been forged from the iron of a meteorite that hit the Earth.

Space Rocks Could Reseed Life on Earth - May 15, 2008

Tue, 20 May 2008 11:17:08 -0700

Asteroid and comet impacts on Earth can cause catastrophic extinction events. They can also bring life back, new research shows.

Many scientists believe that a massive rock from space came crashing down 65 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous Period. The resulting blast set forests ablaze. The skies of Earth were filled with ash that blocked out the sun, and the planet went cold. Vegetation died in the absence of sunlight. Shortly thereafter, the dinosaurs and many other life forms on Earth went extinct. Millions of years of evolution were wiped clean in an instant.

Gunlock meteorite on display in Salt Lake - April 30, 2008

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:21:24 -0700

The 4.5 billion-year-old Gunlock meteorite, recently acquired by the Utah Geological Survey, is now on display at the Natural Resources Map & Bookstore, 1594 W. North Temple.

Idaho geologist Don Adair found the meteorite in 1982. He sawed the specimen in two, and the other half is at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, according to the Utah Department of Natural Resources.

Gem of a show - April 25, 2008

Mon, 5 May 2008 22:39:33 -0700

4) A program at 3 p.m. Saturday will focus on how meteorites impact Earth and another one at 2 p.m. Sunday will look at unique meteorites in Kansas. Both are being presented by the Kansas Meteorite Society. A 108-pound pallasite found near Greensburg will be on display.

Mysterious Lights, Boom Baffle Residents, Authorities - April 17, 2008

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:19:37 -0700

KOKOMO, Ind. -- Strange sights and sounds filled the nighttime sky in Howard and Tipton counties late Wednesday night, leaving residents and authorities wondering what they had seen and heard.

Calls flooded dispatch centers and 6News from people concerned that what they had seen and heard might have been a crashing plane, a meteorite or something else.

Seawater osmium sizes up meteorites - April 11, 2008

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 09:56:59 -0700

Osmium isotopes in seawater sediment can be used to reveal ancient meteorite strikes, US-based scientists say. The sensitive technique could provide more details on the size of extraterrestrial rocks which have plunged into the sea and vapourised, leaving no crater-shaped calling card behind.

Geochemists routinely measure the sediment concentrations of elements such as iridium, in order to infer the presence of meteorites. High levels in ocean sediment indicate that a rock with unnatural concentrations of the element must have dissolved in the sea millions of years ago. But iridium concentrations in seawater vary naturally around the globe, so many monitoring sites are needed.

Earth from Space: Lake Janisjarvi Impact Crater - April 10, 2008

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 09:55:25 -0700

Lake Jänisjärvi is a roughly oval-shaped lake, some 13 by 17 kilometers (8 by 11 miles) across, in northwestern Russia, near the Finnish border. The basin for this lake was formed hundreds of millions of years ago by a meteorite impact.

The Fukang Pallasite for sale - April 9, 2008

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 09:53:49 -0700

Meteorite enthusiasts the world over know of the Fukang Meteorite. Discovered in the Gobi desert (near Fukang) in China eight years ago, the extremely rare and beautiful Pallasite meteorite is thought to have originated at the mantle-core boundary of very large differentiated asteroids that were destroyed during the early formation of the solar system over 4.5 billion years ago, give or take a hundred millennia or so. Fukang’s unique crystalline structures formed as the metal matrix cooled, with no gravitational influence, at a rate of only a few degrees per million-year period.

Hunt on for Argentine meteorite

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 09:52:01 -0700

The space rock reportedly crashed late Sunday somewhere in Entre Rios Province, some 260 miles northwest of Buenos Aires, reports the daily Clarin, which quoted a witness, Milton Blumhagen, a student and astronomy buff: "For three or four seconds I saw an object in flames, changing color until it turned blue when it approached the ground.'' A fire department source said the impact was felt for miles around. No damage was reported.

The curious are headed out to the isolated rural zone where the meteorite, or whatever it was, is believed to have struck.

Tunguska Miracle Festival in Evenkiya - April 8th, 2008

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 08:43:15 -0700

Lawmakers of Regional Board of Deputies of the Evenkiya municipal district of Russia at the last session approved the programme of celebrating the 100th anniversary of Tunguska Meteorite fall in 2008. The programme has been estimated at 6 million RUB (163.000EUR approximately) and is aimed at drawing attention of publicity to the problems of environment protection, preserving the original culture of the peoples populating Evenkiya.

One of the key events of the 100th anniversary celebration will be Tunguska Divo Festival (divo means miracle in Russian) that will take place in Vanavara village on 27-30 June, 2008. Expectedly, the festival will be attended by several hundreds of guests: scientists, students, tourists, journalists, etc.

Microbes could survive meteorite smashes - March 31, 2008

Tue, 1 Apr 2008 10:48:32 -0700

You wouldn't bet on many things surviving a direct hit from a massive asteroid. Yet a few hardy microbes have been shown to live through a simulated smash, boosting the theory that life on Earth could have been seeded from another planet.

Large asteroids or comets that collide with rocky planets like Mars blast fragments into space, and some researchers reckon that this may feed a cosmic conveyor belt of life, in which streams of alien microbes travel from planet to planet inside meteoroids

Evidence of ancient meteorite strike found - March 29, 2008

Tue, 1 Apr 2008 10:47:27 -0700

GLASGOW, Scotland, March 29 (UPI) -- Geologists said a seam of stratified rock on the northwest coast of Scotland was formed by a major meteorite strike 1.2 billion years ago.

The scientists said it appears the meteorite hit Earth with the force of a 145,000 megaton bomb, the Scotsman newspaper reported Friday. The meteorite is thought to have measured more than one-half mile across, ejecting rock over a 40-mile area.

Berkeley Lab scientist finds meteorite clue - March 27, 2008

Tue, 1 Apr 2008 10:43:34 -0700

t must have seemed like the end of the world to those who witnessed it.

A huge, fiery ball hurtled to Earth, followed by an enormous explosion and a hailstorm of speeding debris like shrapnel.

Many of the woolly mammoths, horses, bears and bison in the region may have died. But evidence of the apocalyptic event survived, preserved in their remains for more than 30,000 years until they resurfaced at a motel in Arizona.

Biggest UK space impact found - March 26, 2008

Tue, 1 Apr 2008 10:46:20 -0700

Evidence of the biggest meteorite ever to hit the British Isles has been found by a team of scientists.

Researchers from the universities of Oxford and Aberdeen think a large object hit north-west Scotland about 1.2 billion years ago.

Geologist stumbles on MCG-sized meteorite crater - March 26, 2008

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:10:02 -0700

A rare meteorite crater the size of the MCG has been discovered in WA’s North-West.

Arthur Hickman, a geologist with the Department of Industry and Resources, made the find while scanning satellite images on the internet last July, but his secret has only now been widely revealed after physical verification and testing of the crater.

Kriegh's rocks from the sky on display in OV - March 19, 2008

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:26:39 -0700

In 1995 Jim Kriegh, his friend John Blennert, and I belonged to the Desert Gold Diggers, a local club whose members hunt for gold in Arizona.

Dr. David Kring, a meteoriticist and planetary scientist from the University of Arizona, spoke at one of the club’s meetings and encouraged those who used metal detectors to keep an eye and ear out for meteorites, generally small nondescript objects that look nothing like gold. Jim paid good attention, because while searching for gold in the Santa Rita Mountains he found a rock which turned out to be a meteorite, later named the Greaterville meteorite.

Eastern Oregonians urged to forage for meteorite scraps - March 10, 2008

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:46:18 -0700

LA GRANDE, Ore. — Meteorite scientist Dick Pugh says Chicken Little may have had a point: The sky really is falling. Well, part of it, anyway.

At a recent talk here he urged people to look to their rooftops for pieces of the fireball that came thundering down on northeast Oregon at 5:31 a.m. on Feb. 19.

Pugh, with Portland State University's Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory, says he thinks it hit between Tollgate and Elgin but that its fragments could be widely spread.

Meteorite may have hit near Parry Sound - March 8, 2008

Sat, 8 Mar 2008 07:08:02 -0700

LONDON, ONT. -- Astronomers at the University of Western Ontario are asking residents near the Central Ontario town of Parry Sound to help find meteorites that may have recently fallen in the area.

The astronomers have captured rare video of a meteor streaking through the Earth's atmosphere.

They are hoping people in the area can help recover one or more possible meteorites that may have hit the ground.

Western astronomers on hunt for meteor - March 7, 2008

Sat, 8 Mar 2008 07:07:21 -0700

Astronomers from The University of Western Ontario have captured rare video of a meteor falling to Earth, and are hoping to enlist the help of local residents in recovering one or more possible meteorites that may have crashed in the Parry Sound area.

Meteorite lands in village; sent for analysis - March 7, 2008

Fri, 7 Mar 2008 18:24:38 -0700

A small meteorite that recently landed in a village in Mug(la’s Fethiye district will be analyzed by the Mining Exploration Institute (MTA), stated an official from the region.

Fethiye Deputy District Governor Halil I.brahim Çomaktekin reported that the meteorite fell in the Türbe neighborhood of Yaka Village after a making a thunderous noise. “The muhtar [head] of the village called and informed us, saying that the meteorite was black. He is going to bring it to the city center for analysis. We’ll have it analyzed by the MTA,” Çomaktekin added.

Meteorite Watch - Feb 26, 2008

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:21:02 -0700

Residents of northeast Oregon and particularly from Wallowa and Union counties are asked to be on the lookout for a stream of meteorites that fell from the Feb. 19 fireball as it blew apart over northeast Oregon early that morning.

Scientists: Meteorite broke up above Blue Mountains - Feb 23, 2008

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 10:54:05 -0700

While some witnesses said a meteor that zoomed across the Pacific Northwest skies Tuesday morning struck the Earth, University of Washington scientists said it likely disintegrated in the sky south of Tollgate.

People in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia reported seeing the bright fireball streaking across the sky about 5:30 a.m. At least one person said the object exploded on impact in eastern Washington and another report from southeastern Washington said someone felt tremors from the blast.

Meteor didn't hit land, say many experts (w/video) - Feb 21, 2008

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:39:26 -0700

The fireball that streaked across the Mid-Columbia sky Tuesday continues to be a hot topic around the state as witnesses describe the bright flash they saw and others debate whether the meteor hit the ground.

University of Washington scientists said Wednesday that the meteor didn't crash into Earth. It likely disintegrated above the Blue Mountains about 25 miles north of LaGrande, Ore., at an altitude of about 19 miles.

Meteor lights Northwest sky - Feb 19, 2008

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 13:40:55 -0700

SPOKANE - An apparent meteor streaked through the sky over the Pacific Northwest early Tuesday, drawing reports of bright lights and sonic booms in parts of Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Although a witness reported seeing the object strike the Earth in a remote part of Adams County, in southeast Washington, it still has not been found.

Meteor-like flash highlights commute - Feb 19, 2008

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:18:10 -0700

Several witnesses from Newport and south to the Palouse called this morning to report seeing what appeared to be a meteor streaking across the sky about 5:30 a.m. Washington State Patrol Trooper Tony Olivas not only dealt with reports, he actually saw the flash.

Meteorites from Mercury? 2/15/08

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 09:49:01 -0700

Meteorites from the Moon and Mars give earthbound scientists free rock samples from other worlds. Now Brett Gladman and Jaime Coffey (University of British Columbia, Vancouver) say we should expect a few meteorites from Mercury too.

Meteorites, Comets, and the Origins of Life on Earth

Thu, 7 Feb 2008 06:51:04 -0700

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - George W. Cooper from NASA-Ames Research Center will talk about the origins of life on Earth when he delivers the first Barringer Lecture for the spring 2008 semester. The lecture will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 11, in the Space Center Theater, Room 201 of the old University Museum building. Admission is free and open to all members of the university community and the public.

Monnig Meteorite Gallery receives a slice of Mundrabilla - Jan 15, 2008

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 19:17:04 -0700

The largest iron meteorite slice in the country is coming to Monnig Meteorite Gallery.

The 45-ton meteorite, Mundrabilla, is one of seven slices cut by a dealer in Frankfurt, Germany, and is named after the town in western Australia where it was found, curator Arthur Ehlmann said. The Mundrabilla slice, which measures about 3 feet wide and 2 feet long , is the only slice that will be displayed in the United States, Ehlmann said.

TCU’s Monnig Museum acquires big slice of space rock Jan 8, 2008

Tue, 8 Jan 2008 15:42:50 -0700

Western Australia is prime meteorite collecting country because its barren expanse makes fallen space debris easy to spot. The Mundrabilla meteorite (named for the town in Western Australia where it was located in 1966) is one of the largest known iron-composition space stones in existence, and a slice of it has recently been acquired by the Monnig Meteorite Gallery at Texas Christian University.

Experts doubt find is meteorite - Jan 6, 2008

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 08:47:02 -0700

HESPERIA — What appeared to be a meteorite that Rick Green dug out of his front yard last month is probably not.

The news item appeared on the Daily Press Web site and created quite a bit of interest from across the country. Noted meteorite hunter Michael Farmer from Tucson called to get more information.

Scientists say newly found debris came from a huge meteorite hitting Canada

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 03:53:20 -0700

An enormous extraterrestrial object collided with the Earth with unimaginable force in what is now southeastern Ontario near the city of Sudbury, Canada, about 200 miles northwest of Toronto.

Geologist William Cannon has been studying the debris - known as "ejecta" - that was flung out of that collision and says that anything living in the Upper Midwest would have been destroyed by heat from the impact.

Michigan meteorite may be a meteorwrong - 12/21/07

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 10:44:05 -0700

Jason Bliss has found what he believes to be a meteorite in the backyard of the home belonging to his fiancé's parents.

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"From a geologist's aspect, this is like better than finding gold, truthfully, because it's so rare to find on Earth," said Bliss, 22.

Bliss, who plans to pursue a degree in geology, said he found the magnetic fist-sized black rock sitting outside a firepit in August. He took it to the Livingston Gem & Mineral Society, which said it wasn't a meteorite but, undeterred, Bliss contacted professors at Alma College and the University of Michigan to discuss it.

Bliss, who, based on the rock's darkness, believes it came from the moon or Mars, had a meeting with a U-M professor to show him the rock.

"They (U-M professors) said it's most likely not a meteorite and...

International Space Station hit by meteorite - 12/18/07

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 07:27:22 -0700

The International Space Station crew will make an unscheduled spacewalk to check solar batteries hit by a small meteorite.

In Search of the Tunguska Meteorite - 12/17/07

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:20:22 -0700

A team of Italian scientists from the University of Bologna recently identified a lake in the Tunguska region as the possible impact crater from the 1908 Tunguska event. Lake Cheko is a small bowl-shaped lake, situated approximately 8 kilometers north-north-west of the epicenter of the cataclysmic event. Although the lake is relatively shallow and more elliptical in its form (elliptical craters usually occur only if the angle of entry is less than about 10 degrees), samples from the basin suggest that the lake fills an impact crater.

Mammoth tusks show up meteorite shower - 12/12/07

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:39:42 -0700

Bullet-like pieces of what is thought to be an ancient meteorite shower have been found embedded in mammoth tusks and bison bone.

The discovery of the 2–5 millimetre holes left by meteorites opens a window into a impact event thought to have happened over Alaska and Russia tens of thousands of years ago. And it could provide a whole new way to chart impacts from space.

Meteorite Crater in Puno, Peru Declared Natural Heritage Site 12/3/07

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 16:12:39 -0700

(LIP-ir) -- The area where a meteorite landed in Puno, approximately 800 miles from Lima, has been declared a National Cultural and Natural Heritage Site by the Regional Government of Puno, Peru, said the region's president, Pablo Hernán Fuentes Guzmán.

The regional president explained that the meteorite crater was being declared a part of Peru's heritage to preserve it and keep it safe

Fire in the Sky: Collecting Iron Micrometeorites

Tue, 6 Nov 2007 11:42:00 -0700

Perhaps as a child you made a wish on a falling star, and perhaps as a parent you've encouraged your young ones to do the same. But wouldn't it be neat to have a falling star you could carry in your pocket, to make a wish on whenever you wanted to?

Falling stars aren't stars at all but meteors - bits of rock or iron that have drifted through space until they were caught by the Earth's gravity and pulled into the atmosphere. Most meteors burn up as they hurtle through the upper atmosphere, making the familiar bright streaks we call shooting or falling stars. Some meteors are large enough to survive the trip and become meteorites - meteors that have reached Earth's surface.

Historical Society to celebrate meteor's fall

Thu, 1 Nov 2007 22:21:32 -0700

Seen any magnetized rocks in your back yard lately? If so, you are in possession of a small piece of Easton history.
The Historical Society of Easton is celebrating this year the 200th anniversary of the fall of the Weston meteorite, an event that has remained a scientific and historical subject of inquiry since before Easton was Easton.
On Dec. 14, 1807, several local residents of unimpeachable reputation recalled seeing a fireball in the sky and hearing several loud booms. It was the first recorded meteorite impact in North America.

Peekskill meteorite fetches $1,673 at auction

Thu, 1 Nov 2007 22:20:32 -0700

NEW YORK - It was a bad day at the auction house for two of the most famous rocks ever to fall from space, but the legend of the Peekskill meteorite continued this weekend after a buyer pocketed a slice of the rock that crashed through Michelle Knapp's car in 1992.

The chip off the meteorite, famous not only for its great aim but for the fact that its fiery streak across the Northeast sky was captured on 16 camcorders, went to an anonymous buyer for a few hundred dollars less than the pre-auction bid minimum of $2,000 Sunday at Bonhams in Manhattan.

Chicken Little was right - Steve Arnold, Meteorite

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 09:32:37 -0700

HAVILAND, KAN. -- Steve Arnold is driving the yellow Hummer in circles around a Kiowa County wheat field, towing an 18-foot-wide metal detector. For an hour, nothing but silence.

Finally, the detector whines and Arnold slams the brakes. "That is so good," he says.

There's a romantic notion of being able to have something from between Mars and Jupiter.
— Darryl Pitt, Curator of a meteorite collectionArnold jumps out, pinpoints the location with a smaller detector and starts digging. The world-renowned meteorite hunter is hoping for a big score. He has had three false hits today, unearthing a bit of barbed wire

Quest for famed meteorite co-finder as piece heads for NY auction

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 09:34:28 -0700

BAKER CITY, Ore. (AP) _ With a 30-pound chunk of the famed Willamette Meteorite set for auction in New York on Sunday, a meteorite scientist went on a quest to find out what happened to one of the men who "discovered" it in 1902.

Peekskill meteorite featured at NYC auction

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 09:31:48 -0700

PEEKSKILL - Nothing highlights life's mystery quite like a fiery meteor crashing to Earth.

Not only is it a reminder of a world that is infinitely older and more expansive than Earth's, but its arrival brings hope that the clues to life's origin and destiny are contained inside.

That explains in part why a humble meteorite named Peekskill, which looked more like a blackened pumpernickel loaf than a special message from space when it smashed through a teenager's car in 1992, is getting superstar billing with America's most prized meteorites at a Bonhams auction tomorrow in Manhattan.

Businessmen's meteorite might bring $1.3 million

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 09:30:47 -0700

If you came upon it in a field, you probably wouldn't pay it any mind. The chunk of metal, so charred by its violent descent to Earth, looks like an ordinary rock.

But on Sunday, when Bonhams in New York puts the piece up for auction, it is expected to go for about $1.3 million.

People will pay, it seems, to own a piece of outer space.

John Styles Jr., a Houston businessman, owns half of the alien rock, a 29 1/2 -pound chunk of the Willamette Meteorite found in Oregon in 1902.

Jim Kriegh 1928 – 2007 A remembrance in pictures

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 22:57:23 -0700

Click Link To View Photos

Thanks to Twink & Larry Monrad, Sonny Clary, Ruben Garcia, Cindy Johnson, and Keith Vasquez for their photos

In Memory of Jim Kriegh - December 29, 1928 - October 10, 2007

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 16:16:10 -0700

A Celebration of Jim's Life will be held 11AM Sunday October 14, 2007 at James D. Kriegh Park on West Calle Concordia in Oro Valley Arizona. All are welcome to attend.

Regards, Larry Monrad

Michael Farmer and the Meteorite of Peru

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 16:37:03 -0700

Alan Boyle, of MSNBC's Cosmic Log, likened it to an Indiana Jones movie. Michael Farmer, himself, called it "Another day in the life of a meteorite hunter," but says he did stir up "a slight international incident." So, what was the fuss all about?

Robotic Rockhounds - Oct 11, 2007

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 16:19:01 -0700

Astrobiology Magazine recently interviewed David Wettergreen, an associate research professor with Carnegie Mellon University’s Field Robotics Center. In this, the second segment of a four-part interview, Wettergreen talks about the robot Nomad, which began its career as a fossil-hunter in Chile’s Atacama Desert, and later was sent to Antarctica to search for meteorites.

SPARKS FLY OVER METEORITE - Meteorite hunter Michael Farmer

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 17:30:19 -0700

It's a story worthy of an "Indiana Jones" sequel: Drawn by outlandish legends, a controversial collector journeys to Peru, purchases pieces of a rare meteorite under shady circumstances, then has to hightail it across the border to Bolivia with police in hot pursuit. Now the plot is nearing its resolution - and the finale could make another meteorite-size splash.

"It's been quite an interesting week for me," Michael Farmer told me today from his home in Arizona. "I did have to make my escape, that's for sure. ... Another day in the life of a meteorite hunter.

Meteorites the hot new art objects - Bonhams Auction

Tue, 9 Oct 2007 06:51:10 -0700

For art collectors, the latest must-have objects are, quite literally, falling from the sky.

Boldface names like Steven Spielberg and Yo-Yo Ma are buying meteorites from auction houses at prices that are out of this world.

On Oct. 28 in New York, Bonhams auctioneers will hold their first-ever sale devoted exclusively to meteorites, and prices are expected to climb well past the seven-figure mark.

U.S. Collector Admits He Bought Meteorite Fragments in Peru - Oct. 4 2007

Thu, 4 Oct 2007 16:58:46 -0700

Andina, Peru's official government news agency, reported today that the "meteorite hunter" Michael Farmer admitted that he had taken 300 grams of meteorite fragments out of Peru. The fragments were reported to be of the meteorite that landed in Carancas, Puno, Peru.

The professional meteorite collector stated that he had legally bought the fragments from townspeople in the area. "It's not true that I stole a piece of the meteorite. I paid more or less one thousand dollars for the 300 grams of meteorite which were in 100 fragments," said Farmer in a telephone conversation with Andina.

Alien rock (meteorite) could sell for up to $700,000

Wed, 3 Oct 2007 22:36:37 -0700

A 1,410-pound meteorite, wrenched two years ago from a wheat field near Greensburg, is going up for auction next month with an estimated price that's out of this world.

The so-called Brenham meteorite, prized as the largest of its kind, is one of two centerpiece attractions at a meteorite sale scheduled for Oct. 28 at the Bonhams auction house in New York.

Bonhams set an estimated value of $630,000 to $700,000.

A few characteristics distinguish the Greensburg space rock from other known meteorites.

Auction to settle question of worth - Arnold's Meteorite

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 16:09:24 -0700

After Steve Arnold finally found the big one, buried seven feet deep in a Kansas wheat field, he hoisted his treasure into the bed of his pickup and hauled it back to the Ozarks.

Two years later, Arnold’s discovery, a rare meteorite that is the biggest of its kind ever unearthed, will go to the high bidder at an auction scheduled for next month in New York. Also on the block: Choice chunks of the moon and Mars, a smattering of meteorites decommissioned from the Smithsonian Institution and London’s Natural History Museum, and a rock billed as “the sexiest meteorite on earth.”

Experts confirm meteorite crash in Peru

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 16:06:06 -0700

LIMA, Peru — A fiery meteorite crashed into southern Peru over the weekend, experts confirmed on Wednesday. But they were still puzzling over claims that it gave off fumes that sickened 200 people.
Local residents told reporters that a fiery ball fell from the sky and smashed into the desolate Andean plain near the Bolivian border Saturday morning.

Jose Mechare, a scientist with Peru's Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Institute, said a geologist had confirmed that it was a "rocky meteorite," based on the fragments analyzed.

Meteorite Crash Causes 'Mystery Illness' in Peru - Sept 19, 2007

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 10:01:12 -0700

LIMA, Peru — A supposed meteorite that crashed in southern Peru over the weekend has caused hundreds of people to suffer headaches, nausea and respiratory problems, a health official said Tuesday

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM TO OPEN A NEW MINERAL GALLERY - THE VAULT

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:04:04 -0700

London’s Natural History Museum is opening a brand new permanent gallery space revealing the stories behind some of the more unusual, unique and valuable pieces from its huge collection of rare gems, crystals and metals.

The Vault will open on November 28 2007 and is to include a 1,700-carat topaz found in the 19th century, an incredibly rare orange ‘padparadscha’ sapphire from Sri Lanka (pictured), and an extraordinary pink ‘morganite’ beryl from Madagascar.

It will also feature the Aurora collection, a group of 296 naturally coloured diamonds, ranging from emerald green and lemon yellow to blood red and lavender blue.

Some of the exhibits even have stellar origins, like the Nakhla, a Martian meteorite that people in Egypt saw falling to Earth in 1911, one of less than 100 known specimens in the world.

Willamette Meteorite auction: A lot of sadness?

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:03:27 -0700

NEW YORK (AP) - An American Indian group is upset by the planned auction of a 30-pound chunk from the historic Willamette Meteorite.

They say the 10,000-year-old space rock's immense religious significance was ignored.

But the owner of the fragment notes that most of the 15.5-ton meteorite remains untouched, and says the tribe's dismay won't halt next month's sale.

The piece from the world-renowned Willamette is expected to bring in more than $1 million.

Tribe Alarmed by Auction of a Meteorite Fragment

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:02:26 -0700

The 15.5-ton Willamette Meteorite, discovered in Oregon in 1902, is the largest meteorite ever found in the United States and the sixth largest in the world. It is also again the source of debate, involving American Indian religious traditions, the pending auction of a 28-pound chunk that was sliced off six years ago, and the collectors’ market for rocks that fall from the sky.

Willamette Meteorite Piece Could Fetch $1.3M At NY Auction

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:01:11 -0700

A 28-pound rock that is out of this world -- literally -- could fetch a stratospheric sum when it goes on the auction block in New York City next month.

A chunk of the Willamette meteorite, the largest meteorite ever discovered in North America, is being offered at Bonhams auction house in Manhattan on October 28.