Micrometeorite | NMM 4173 - Skedsmo | Cryptocrystalline

Product detailed description

Billions of years ago, somewhere in the distant universe, there was a giant star. Its insatiable gravity fed an unimaginable amount of energy. Constantly converting lighter elements into heavier ones, it defied irreversible fate for hundreds of millions of years. But one day, the fuel ran out, and in a huge explosion, the star blew most of its mass as microscopic particles into deep space. Most of these grains of matter eventually formed into new suns, planets, moons or asteroids. But a large fraction of them have spent all their time travelling alone. As grains of dust, they came into existence, and as grains of dust they still exist today. Stardust.

One such speck has entered a collision course with Earth. It was lucky enough not to vaporize as it passed through the atmosphere. It merely melted and formed into a new shape. In this case, a shape resembling a turtle shell. By continuing coincidence, it was found on June 13, 2023 at Skedsmo, Viken, Norway.
This was followed by detailed examination under an electron microscope, a unique photographic process (which involves focusing and compositing dozens of sub-photographs for maximum photo quality) and compositional analysis for definitive confirmation of extraterrestrial origin.

Micrometeorite NMM 4173 is a one-of-a-kind Space rock. The ~0.4 mm stone is a droplet, due to rapid spin during atmospheric entry. The thick end is cryptocrystalline (CC), with a long glass tail that has pulled back by surface tension to a rounded form before solidification. At the tip is a beautiful chromite crystal, clearly visible in the backscatter SEM image. But the sensational feature of this micrometeorite is the “crackelated” (coined by Matthew Genge) surface of the glass tail, which is clearly layered. The brownish outer layer has crackelated while the interior was still molten and has kept it in place. This is a unique museum quality micrometeorite, a jewel in any collection. It was found June 13, 2023, at Skedsmo, Viken, Norway.

If you decide to be one of the first private owners of a micrometeorite in the world and order it from us, you will get not only the stone itself, but everything you need to enjoy this natural unique to the fullest. The package includes an ultra-high resolution digital photograph, an autobiographical (signed by the author) Star Hunter book by Jon Larsen, and of course the meteorite itself along with a signed certificate of authenticity.

The stone is housed in a durable case with a covered slide-out microscope slide. It is therefore possible to enjoy its unique beauty at any time by observing it yourself under a microscope.

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Provenance: the catalog number refers to the NMM Archives, the index to Jon Larsen's Project Stardust collection, a reference collection for urban micrometeorites. The stone was found, managed and collected by Larsen and is in pristine condition, straight from space.