Meteors, and Meteorites, and Impacts on Earth

Impacts on the Earth

This site shows where all the objects in the inner solar system are today. Lots (the ones in red) cross our orbit and so present an impace danger.

Terrestrial Impact Craters
NASA's Ames Research Center has a page devoted to Asteroid and Comet Impact Hazards.
The Spacewatch Project is mapping all asteroids that cross the Earth's orbit.
This Space Telescope Science Institute link shows what happened when an asteroid hit the Earth, killing off the dinosaurs. The crater created by the asteroid.
Terrestrial Impact Craters
The Canadian Geological Survey has a great page devoted to impact structures on the Earth.
The large crater near Flagstaff Arizona is called the Barringer crater in astronomy, Canyon Diablo in geology, and just plain Meteor Crater in tourist guides. Meteorites found nearby are always said to have come from Canyon Diablo.

Meteorites

The meteorites pages at LANL and SEDS.
Meteorites! is a magazine devoted to them.
Today, Antarctica has become the best place to look for meteorites. Find out why on this page produced by Johnson Spaceflight Center.
Meteorites from Mars are teaching us about the early history of this planet. Links from JPL and LPI, are here. More are in the Mars page.
This link has a large number of photos of meteorites, of all classes.
The University of Washington Astro Dept has a page devoted to impacts and meteorites.
A page devoted to comets and meteor showers.
The is a proposal for ways to find meteorites in coal mines, offered by Penn State. It could have uses here in Kentucky.

Identifying Meteorites

How can you tell if that funny rock is a meteorite? Most funny rocks are just funny rocks - meteo-wrongs not meteorites. There also are labs that will test your rock to see if it really is a meteorite, and show you how to tell if a rock is from space.

The Kentucky Paleontological Society meets the last Friday of the month in Room 101 of the Mines and Minerals Resources Building, at 7:30PM. They are a group of local geologists who know a meteorite when they see one.Their president is Dan Phelps, and can be reached at (606) 277-3148.

Meteor Showers

Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through a region of space that has been poluted by the passage of a comet.

Here are tips on how and when to observe them.

Buying (or selling) Meteorites

Many people collect meteorites as a hobby! There are several dealers on the Web. A master list of dealers is kept by www.meteorite.com

The Meteorite Market has some meteorites, and lots of information on meteorites. These is where I bought the meteorites I pass around in class.

RA Laugheinrich Meteorites

The Meteorite Exchange has an extensive collection of samples and information.

Michael Blood Meteorites

Michael Casper Meteorites

Mile High Meteorites

Mineralogical Research Co meteorites and minerals

New England Meteoritical Service

Meteorite Central