Fragments of asteroids and comets are small celestial bodies moving in interplanetary space in their orbits. Getting into the zone of gravity of the Earth, they fall to its surface. These are meteorites. Not all heavenly stones are seen and found. Some, called meteors, evaporate in the atmosphere before reaching the planet's surface, while larger ones crack or disintegrate upon impact. But we still manage to find something. Some of the finds are very impressive in size. More than 100 tons of meteorite matter falls on the Earth annually.
Necessary
- - alcohol;
- - Nitric acid.
Instructions
Step 1
All meteorites are subdivided into iron, iron-stone and stone, depending on their chemical composition. The first and second have a significant percentage of the content of nickel iron. They are rarely found, since having a gray or brown surface, they are indistinguishable from ordinary stones by eye. The best way to look for them is with a mine detector. However, taking such a sample in your hands, you will immediately understand that you are holding metal or something similar to it.
Step 2
Iron meteorites have a high specific gravity and magnetic properties. Fallen for a long time, acquire a rusty hue - this is their distinctive feature. Most of the iron-stone and stone meteorites are also magnetized. The latter, however, are much smaller. A recently fallen rock meteorite is fairly easy to spot, as a crater is usually formed around the impact site.
Step 3
When moving through the atmosphere, the meteorite gets very hot. Those who have recently fallen show a melted shell. After cooling, regmaglipts remain on their surface - depressions and protrusions, as if from fingers on clay, and wool - traces resembling bursting bubbles. In shape, meteorites often resemble a somewhat rounded projectile head.
Step 4
At home, you can conduct a reaction for nickel. Saw the sample and polish it to a mirror finish. Prepare a 1:10 solution of nitric acid in alcohol. Immerse the sample in it, stir gently. After a while, the so-called Widmanstetton figures - metal crystals - will become visible on its surface. However, in some small part of iron meteorites, the crystal structure does not appear after such an experiment.
Step 5
On the split of a stone meteorite, small, about 1 mm, formations in the form of grains - chondrules - are often visible. The iron has inclusions of metal in the form of stripes.
