10 replies to this topic

[asaint]

Meteorites

[edwincjones]

for recommended reading I would add Norton and Chitwood's Field Guide to Meteors and Meteorites-more up to date and beautiful images.

edj

[ned_l]

Nice article, but the small font was hard to read on my browser.

[Glassthrower]

Hi Allister and friends!

There is a formatting error/problem at the bottom of the article. After the portion I quote below, the article should end, but instead there is a repeat of one of the sections and some photos.

nternet resources and further reading :

The Meteoritical Society - http://meteoriticalsociety.org

Meteorite Magazine - http://meteoritemag.uark.edu/

Lunar Meteorites - http://meteorites.wu..._meteorites.htm

Martian Meteorites - http://www2.jpl.nasa.../snc/index.html

Next : Meteorites Part Two - Advanced Collecting & Study

Everything after this part in the article is duplicated for some reason.

[Glassthrower]

Hi Ned,

If you have a "wheel mouse", you can hold down the <ctrl> key and move your mouse wheel up and down to change the font size.

Best regards and clear skies,

MikeG

[coopman]

Thanks for doing this article, Mike. I have been wanting something like this for several months now. I am off to order "Rocks from Space" right now.

[Glassthrower]

Hi Clay,

It's good to hear from you. I hope you made out OK with hurricanes Gustave and Ike. We got a lot of wind damage here, but we were spared the worst.

You won't regret Rocks From Space. It's the perfect written introduction to meteorites. Of course, it's very broad, so once it sparks your interest (which it will do!), you'll probably want to learn more about key areas of meteorites - like their history and collecting.

For the history of meteorites, I highly recommend Burke's Cosmic Debris. It has in-depth chapters that cover each topic that Norton only touches on. It's a long and involved read, but the rewards are well worth it. You finish Cosmic Debris with a much better understanding of how meteoritics as a science has evolved and how meteorites have been viewed, collected, and studied across the centuries.

For a more detailed primer on collecting meteorites as a hobby, then I recommend Kevin Kichinka's "The Art of Collecting Meteorites". It's a comprehensive but light-hearted treatment of the hobby that covers purchasing, preserving, cataloging and displaying your collection of meteorites.

IMO, these 3 books represent a progression in the hobby :

1) Rocks From Space is the ice-breaker and introduction that sparks the curiosity about meteorites.

2) Cosmic Debris fleshes out the story and lights a fire under most readers to start collecting in earnest.

3) The Art of Collecting gives some sage advice about how to actually put together a collection and enjoy it.

Rocks From Space can be found, usually, for about $20-$24.

Cosmic Debris is out of print and is a bit more expensive. It typically sells for about $30-$40

The Art of Collecting Meteorites is priced about the same as Rocks from Space.

None of these are bank-breakers for the beginner.

For those who want to drop a little money on books, I recommend :

Norton's Encyclopedia of Meteorites and the Catalogue of Meteorites by Grady. Both are valuable references in the field - the former in mostly visual terms, and the latter in historical terms. (neither of these are cheap and typically sell for about $75-$120 and $200-$250 respectively.)

Best regards and clear skies,

MikeG

[Project Galileo]

Meteorites are cool. I liked the article and look forward to further study. I had purchased an accessory from Mike a few months ago and he included a small meteorite in a plastic bag with an ID sticker on it. It was a nice touch and led me to investigate more about them. It is now a good luck charm in my eyepiece case. Neat stuff.

[Glassthrower]

Hi Doc!

I keep a meteorite in my eyepiece case as well! It's part good-luck charm and part outreach prop. Even though most of my observing has been solo in my backyard, there are some rare occasions where I get out to local star parties. I'd hate to be caught out in a situation where I get asked about meteorites and don't have one handy to show.

The first time I bought a piece of lunar meteorite, I was awe struck to hold a piece of the Moon in my hand. It was cloudy that night, but the next night we had clear sky and a nearly-full Moon. I went outside with my scope and gazed at the Moon, with the Moon Rock in my pocket. I tried to imagine which giant crater or basin was the origin of the tiny fragment in my pocket. It was a great experience, and I still get that same thrill when I hold a lunar or Martian meteorite. My wife think's it's 100% geeky, but I still like it.

BTW, what accessory did you buy from me? I forget, and apparently I forgot to give you a good rating for the transaction!

Best regards and clear skies,

MikeG

[Project Galileo]

I bought a 2" Baader Fringe Killer filter from you in December. We already did the ratings on AM since thats where it happened. It is working out great btw.

I have showed off that meteorite to everyone who would listen to my ravings. I start out showing off my newly finished eye piece case and collection of glass. Almost without exception everyone looks past that stuff and takes interest in the rock. It apparently is cooler than all things Tele Vue and Baader. I think this rock is very auspiscious. Thanks!

Your article has given me some more to talk about when people ask questions. At first when asked what it was I would say something like, "well, its this rock, from space, it fell and stuff. Pagans believe it is extra lucky as a charm because it was a gift." Because of this article I now have all kinds of new, neat stuff to tell them about it.

[Glassthrower]

Hi Doc,

Now I remember - that was during my last big gear shuffle.

About the meteorite in your eyepiece case -

It apparently is cooler than all things Tele Vue and Baader.

Now if I can just convince someone to trade me their Ethos for a meteorite and I will consider my collecting a success!

It's interesting that you mention pagans and meteorites. Long before science understood the true origin of meteorites, indigenous peoples revered meteorites as messengers or omens from heaven. In Burke's book "Cosmic Debris", there is an in-depth chapter on the beliefs of ancient peoples regarding meteorites. Of particular interest is that the American Indians apparently held meteorites in high regard. Samples of Brenham meteorites were found in Indian burial mounds in Ohio - hundreds of miles from their fall site in Kansas.

I took some of the highlights from Burke's folklore chapter and put them in this thread :

http://tinyurl.com/addyp6

You would be amazed what some of these cultures thought about meteorites. Some of it is quite amusing.

Another meteorite anecdote, on a personal note :

My fatherinlaw is 88 and going on 89. He has a good sense of humor and 3 brothers who are all alive and in their 80's. My fatherinlaw is the oldest of the brothers and his "younger" brothers always kid him that he's "older than dirt" and that he is "the oldest thing in Houma". (where we live)

So, the first time I handed him a meteorite to look at, he said - "What's this?" and I said - "It's the only thing in Houma older than you!"

Look, I have a big tupperware container full of small meteorites that I give away for outreach use and for kids. If you want some, PM me and I will send a few - these are small, inexpensive, and relatively-common types, so I don't mind giving them away for a good purpose. Kids love'em.

Regards and clear skies,

MikeG