Meteorties
A meteorite is left over material from the formation of our solar system nearly 4.5 billion years ago. These rare piece give us a glimpse into how our solar system came to be. Viewing celestial objects through a telescope is an amazing experience but being able to hold a piece of the universe is a whole other feeling. Here at Focus we combine telescope viewing with meteorites to make a truly out of this world experience.
About our collection
Focus' meteorite collection is privately owned and acquired through reputable sources, this ensures all our samples are authentic.
The collection is composed of over 50 samples ranging from meteorite finds from all over the world. We have looked for the samples that bring the best representation of each major meteorite type. The soul purpose of our collection is for education of students to the public. To date our samples see over 15,000 people a year during our events.
Our goal is to bring the universe closer to everyone, that means more than just a view through a telescope but a chance to handle an actual piece of it!
Below are images displaying our current collection. If you have any interest in starting your own or obtaining a piece of meteorite please email us at focusastronomy@gmail.com.
Meteorite Display Cases
Our mobile meteorite display cases allows us to showcase and protect several rare meteorite samples. Each piece is mounted via rare earth magnets which allows us to remove, add and adjust the samples within. The case was custom made for our needs and features LED lighting in both white and red (for stargazing nights), under lighting for Pallasite samples and acrylic cover to ensure samples are protected.
The display is built into two SKB rifle cases to ensure a rugged and durable display. If you are interested in your own display case please contact us at focusastronomy@gmail.com.
Levitation Display
Over 95% of meteorites contain high levels of iron-nickel metals compared to rocks found on Earth. These metals make the samples attracted to magnets, espcially iron meteorites. Our largest meteorite display above uses
rare-Earth magnets to mount to samples to the case, however you are not able to see this.
To better display the attraction of magnets to meteorites we have built a Levitation Display shows suspends a iron meteorite sample in midair using nothing but magnetic attraction. This display is both interesting and artisitic.
Levitation Displays can be custom made for interested parties. If you would like a Levitation Displau please email us for more information. Please note that Levitation Displays use high power rare-Earth magnets and should be used with caution.
Inside the Meteorites
Aside from the stunning visuals of a meteorite's internal matrix there is so much to be learned on a much smaller level. Being able to take a deep look into a meteorite can unlock the most important information for science. Many meteorite labs observe slices of meteorites under high power microscopes. This allows them to understand the chemical make up and advanced structers within them.
Focus has taken the next step at expanding our hands on meteorite display! To explore the internal world of meteorites we have two powerful Celestron digital microscopes that allow us to peer deep within our samples. One allows us to view a close up view of our larger pieces. The other high power microscope lets us peer in at a microscopic level. We have a rare micrscope slice of meteorite to really show the inner pieces of a meteorite. Our microscopes even allow you to photograph real images of meteorite samples!
Below are the three main microscopes we use for our meteorite lab. These are amazing pieces of equipment for use in science classes all over.
Celestron Digital Microscope Pro
Recommended Meteorite Dealers
Purchasing a meteorite must be done carefully. There are a lot of fakes out there and we want to ensure you get the very best! To the right you will find our top dealers for purchasing meteorites. These are the meteorite dealers we work with regularly for our collection pieces. If you have any questions you can always email us at focusastronomy@gmail.com.
Make sure you buy meteorites from a reputable source! This will ensure you get a top quality sample no matter the size. You want a true meteorite, not a meteor wrong!
Above:
This image is a cross section of Allende meteorite
as seen through our TetraView Microscope. The high power microscope allows us to view the internal stone structures.
Above:
A close up image of one of our Gibeon meteorite slices using our Digital Microscope Pro.
Collection Samples
Weight: 2490 grams Type: Iron Campo Del Cielo fell to Earth nearly 6000 years ago in what is now Argentina. The Spanish came across this meteorite in 1576 when the visited the region. This piece weighs nearly 5.5 lbs and is about the size of a baseball. This make it a perfect sample to handle.
Weight: 75 grams Type: Iron Gibeon meteorite was originally used as tools by the Nama people in Gibeon, Namibia. It was not until 1836 that the iron material was found to be a meteorite. This sample is coated to ensure it does not rust and it will last while being handled. The slice is one of the pieces that we allow people to handle. The slice shows the beautiful inner structure that Gibeon meteorites are so well known for.
Weight: 85 grams Type: Iron Canyon Diablo hails from the famous Meteor Crater in northern Arizona. The meteorite is an iron meteorite that was originally found in 1891 and fell to Earth some 50,000 years ago.
Weight: 337 grams Type: Iron Gibeon meteorite was originally used as tools by the Nama people in Gibeon, Namibia. It was not until 1836 that the iron material was found to be a meteorite. This sample is coated to ensure it does not rust and it will last while being handled. The slice is one of the pieces that we allow people to handle. The slice shows the beautiful inner structure that Gibeon meteorites are so well known for.
Weight: 3.3 grams Type: Stone NWA (North West Africa) meteorites are found in the deserts or Morocco. Thousands of different pieces of meteorite have been found in the region. Some pieces such as this have not been identified and do not carry an NWA number like other samples.
Weight: 515 grams Type: Iron Campo Del Cielo fell to Earth nearly 6000 years ago in what is now Argentina. The Spanish came across this meteorite in 1576 when the visited the region. This slice of Campo is our largest slice sample yet and is nearly 8" in length.
Weight: 15.6 grams Type: Stone Gold Basin fell to Earth in northern Arizona nearly 5000 years ago. This stone meteorite was originally found in 1995 by gold prospectors. To date nearly 4000 pieces of Gold Basin meteorite have been found. This sample of Gold Basin is a end slice that displays the inner iron flakes and stone.
Weight: 65 grams Type: Stone Gold Basin fell to Earth in northern Arizona nearly 5000 years ago. This stone meteorite was originally found in 1995 by gold prospectors. To date nearly 4000 pieces of Gold Basin meteorite have been found.
Weight: 0.05 grams Type: Stone A real piece of the moon! NWA 8687 is one of the newer meteorite discoveries, found in Morocco in 2014. This small stone meteorite is a from a large impact on the moon, the impact threw material into space. A small amount of that material made it here to Earth. This piece of NWA 8687 is a small end cut of a larger piece. Lunar meteorites are among the rarest meteorites one can find.
Weight: 25 grams Type: Iron Sikhote-Alin meteorites come from a massive explosion in southeastern Russia that occurred on Feb. 12, 1947. During the meteors flight into the atmosphere the entire mass exploded in a monster explosion. This sent thousands of iron fragments over the area. Sikhote-Alin meteorites are known for their dramatic, alien like display. Small pieces have unique looks while larger pieces can display holes and thumb print like imprints.
Weight: 55 grams Type: Stone NWA (North West Africa) meteorites are found in the deserts or Morocco. Thousands of different pieces of meteorite have been found in the region. Some pieces such as this have not been identified and do not carry an NWA number like other samples. This piece displays small iron flakes and beautiful fusion crust on the outer side.
Weight: 25 grams Type: Iron Henbury meteorite comes from a collection of craters in the northern Territory of Australia. These meteorites display the beautiful crystal pattern when sliced and polished. This sample is being over taken by rust due to exposure to moister. It is currently in need of restoration.
Weight: 3.1 grams Type: Stone NWA 1692 is yet another piece found in the deserts of Morocco. NWA 1692 was originally found in 2002 and it a stone class meteorite.
Weight: 40.9 grams Type: Stone NWA (North West Africa) meteorites are found in the deserts or Morocco. Thousands of different pieces of meteorite have been found in the region. Some pieces such as this have not been identified and do not carry an NWA number like other samples.
Weight: 133 grams Type: Stony-Iron Seymchan is a rare type of stony-iron meteorite called a Pallasite. These meteorites display a beautiful metal structure with transparent Olivine crystals mounted within. Seymchan was originally found in June 1967 with the finding of a 600 pound piece in Russia.
Weight: 205 grams Type: Impactite This sample is not actually a meteorite at all. This is an impactite which is material that has been slammed together during a meteor impact. The material in this slide has been compressed due to the massive force of an impact.
Weight: 3.95 grams Type: Stone On Feb. 15, 2013 a massive meteor flew through the skies of Chelyabinsk, Russia. Not long after a massive explosion rocked the area for miles. The meteor made headlines all over the world and was captured by many cameras. We are pleased to have a small sample of this well known meteorite in our collection.
Weight: 9.9 grams Type: Stony-Iron Fukang meteorite is probably one of the most sought after pieces of meteorite due to its striking Olivine crystals. Fukang landed in one major piece in China.
Weight: 2490 grams Campo Del Cielo fell to Earth nearly 6000 years ago in what is now Argentina. The Spanish came across this meteorite in 1576 when the visited the region. This is our largest meteorite sample in the collection. At 17.5 pounds it is a massive piece of celestial iron.
Weight: 4.2 grams Type: Stone Allende is a rare type of stone meteorite known as a Carbonaceous Chrondrite. Allende contains some of the earliest material from the creation of the solar system some 4.7 billion years ago. Allende fell to Earth on Feb. 8, 1969 in Mexico. Allende displays beautiful Calcium Aluminum Inclusion which display as white spheres. These are fused material from the solar system creation.
Weight: 2.15 grams Type: Stone Murchison is the most studied meteorite on Earth! Murchison belongs to a rare class of stone meteorites known as Carbonaceous Chondrites which contain a collection of organic material. Murchison itself contains nearly 70 amino acids (building blocks of DNA) within it!
Weight: 2.3 grams Type: Stone Gujba meteorite is an extremely rare type of stone called a bencubbinite which belongs to the Carbaceous Chrondite family. Gujba was formed during a massive planetary sized impact that mixed iron material from the core with silicate material from the crust. Gujba was witnessed falling to Earth on April 3, 1984 in Bogga Dingare, Nigera.
Weight: 658 grams Type: Stone Gold Basin fell to Earth in northern Arizona nearly 5000 years ago. This stone meteorite was originally found in 1995 by gold prospectors. To date nearly 4000 pieces of Gold Basin meteorite have been found. The largest known piece of Gold Basin is 3.5 pounds. This piece is 1.5 pounds making it a rather piece Gold Basin sample.
Weight: N/A Type: Stone Allende is a rare type of stone meteorite known as a Carbonaceous Chrondrite. Allende contains some of the earliest material from the creation of the solar system some 4.7 billion years ago. Allende fell to Earth on Feb. 8, 1969 in Mexico. Allende displays beautiful Calcium Aluminum Inclusion which display as white spheres. These are fused material from the solar system creation. This piece is known as a thin section. It is used for viewing under a microscope.
Weight: 68.9 grams Type: Stone Old Camp Wash is one of the newest meteorite finds to come from Arizona. it was discovered by a rancher is Maricopa County, AZ in Feb. 2015. To date only about 39.8 lbs. have been found of this meteorite. We are proud to have a sample of it to display!
Weight: 129.5 grams Type: Stony-Iron This is a full slice of Admire pallasite from Lyon County, Kansas. Like our smaller sample (FM019) Admire displays a beautiful collection of Olivine crystal within it. This massive slice is an impress 7" in length and 3.5" in height. It is dazzling when lit from below to show the transparent crystals.
Weight: 18.6 grams Type: Iron Chinga hails from Turvinskaya, Russia and was originally discovered in a lake bed in 1913. Chinga is a rare type of iron meteorite known as a Ataxite iron which do not display the famous crystal like pattern that most iron meteorites are known for. Chinga contains 65% iron, 16% nickle and an assortment of other elements including cobalt and phosphorus. Due to the high nickle content Chinga displays a beautiful mirror like finish when polished.
Weight: 20 grams Type: Stone Tank Mountain is yet another Arizona find! Originally discovered in 2010 near Yuma, AZ the Tank Mountain meteorite is known as the "Jig Saw" meteorite. It blew into 11 pieces as it fell to Earth. All 11 pieces were recovered and the finders were able to piece it back into one piece like a Jig Saw Puzzle, thus the nick name. To date there is less than 18 pounds of this meteorite on Earth. Focus is proud to display the first piece to ever be released to the public!
Weight: 1g Type: Stone The Holbrook meteorite fell to Earth on July 19, 1912 over the small town of Holbrook, AZ. A massive explosion occurred sending a shower of small stone meteorites across the local landscape.
Weight: 0.5g Type: Stone This is an ultra rare Los Angeles meteorite found by Bob Verish. The meteorite was found in the Mojave Desert outside of Los Angeles, it was then put into storage for 20 years. In 1999 Mr. Verish (then a meteorite hunter) took the rock to UCLA where it was later IDed as a meteorite. Samples of this can be found in labs all over the world as it is a highly meteorite. Our sample comes direct from Mr. Verish himself.
Weight: 75.3g Type: Iron The Gebel Kamil meteorite hails from Egypt. Originally found in 2009 in a crater that was originally discovered via Google Earth. The crater is said to be 5000 years old and has produced beautiful iron meteorites such as this.
Weight: 23g Type: Iron
Weight: 150.6g Type: Iron
Weight: 10.3g Type: Stony-Iron
Weight: 18.3g Type: Iron
Type: Stone Weight: 1g This is a brand new find to science and is currently in the process of being officially IDed. This will be updated once the sample has been IDed.
Weight: 21.5g Type: Stone
Weight: 14.6g Type: Stony-Iron Imilac is yet another prized pallasite meteorite. Originally discovered in 1822 in the Atacama Desert in Chile over 2200 lbs. of this have been found. Imilac displays outstanding olivine crystals which are stunning when lit from behind. You can find this sample on display in our mobile meteorite exhibit.
Weight: 49.7g Type: Stony-Iron Brahin hails from Gomel, Belarus and was originally discovered by farmers in 1810. Brahin has a beautifully complex internal structure of iron-nickel with a vast collection of olivine crystal within.