Astronomy August 2006
Unlocking the solar system’s past
There’s a treasure trove locked inside meteorites, rare particles older than Earth. DAVID A. KRING
Between a rock and a gas giant
Mars and Jupiter bracket a belt of mini-planets where action is the name of the game. RICHARD TALCOTT
Earth under fire
Our planet’s surface is riddled with craters formed by high-speed cosmic impacts. MIKE REYNOLDS
Blast from the past
Fifty thousand years ago, a multimegaton impact gouged out Arizona’s Meteor Crater. DAVID A. KRING
Classic rock
Stone meteorites are the most common in space, but they’re tough to find on Earth. MICHAEL E. BAKICH
The great interplanetary rock swap
Some meteorites come from the Moon, others from Mars. Here’s how they arrive. BILL COOKE
Heavy metal
Iron meteorites make up less than 10 percent of space rocks but are easy to identify on Earth. MICHAEL E. BAKICH
How to start your meteorite collection
Here’s everything you need to start acquiring space rocks. O. RICHARD NORTON
Rock-metal fusion
The rarest class of meteorites, stony-irons, also is the most beautiful. MICHAEL E. BAKICH
Party with the Perseids!
The Perseid meteor shower is one of amateur astronomy’s great yearly social events. MICHAEL E. BAKICH
Name that rock
Scientists classify meteorites by what they’re made of and where they come from. MICHAEL E. BAKICH
Rock star
Meteorite dealer Robert Haag travels the world in search of space rocks. RAYMOND SHUBINSKI
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