In 2013, two small fragments of the Tissint Martian meteorite were "planted" in Arizona's Sonoran Desert in order to deliberately expose them to terrestrial desert weathering. The first piece was recovered for analysis after 12 months of exposure, and the remaining fragment  in 2016 (read about Tissint's recovery from the Arizona desert here). During their…

July 27th marks the first observed meteorite fall in Arizona's Valley of the Sun!  While multiple Valley residents reported fireball sightings to the American Meteor Society that evening, Center for Meteorite Studies Curator Professor Laurence Garvie speculates that many additional witnesses likely mistook the meteorite's entry into Earth's atmosphere for monsoon lightning. So far, only…

Scientists believe the solar system was formed some 4.6 billion years ago when a cloud of gas and dust collapsed under gravity, possibly triggered by a cataclysmic explosion from a nearby massive star or supernova. As this cloud collapsed, it formed a spinning disk with the sun in the center. Piece by piece, scientists have…

Center Ph.D. candidate Emilie Dunham recently wrote an article for Meteorite Times Magazine.  The piece, Understanding Solar System History: CAIs in Meteorites, details Dunham's research in the Center as well as findings she presented at the annual meeting of the Meteoritical Society last year. A recipient of the prestigious NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship…

Center Director Meenakshi Wadhwa was recently featured on NPR's Science Friday, discussing the 2003 fall of the Park Forest meteorite. Listen to the interview here!