The galleries will grow as we have time to add more specimens and as more meteorites are discovered. Meteorites are all shapes and sizes and come in many colors. Astronomers think carbonaceous chondrites formed far away from the sun as the early solar system developed. Some of those rocks are thought to be meteorites. Meteoroids are what we call space rocks that range in size from dust grains to small asteroids. Fewer than 30 meteorites have been found since 1807. When I give lectures and slideshows about meteorites to rock and mineral societies,
The Dishchiibikoh meteorite fall in the White Mountain Apache reservation in central Arizona has given scientists a big clue to finding out where so-called LL chondrites call home. They are among the densest materials on earth and will stick very strongly to a powerful
The rocks are very much like Earth rocks with some distinctive compositions that indicate Martian origin. Meteorites can not be identified from photos with 100% accuracy, but all of photos below are of things I believe to be meteorites with 50-99% confidence. by studying their two component iron-nickel alloys: kamacite and taenite. nickel-iron and silicates and usually show an attractive, high-contrast silver and
} Flow lines are cooled streaks of once-molten fusion crust. Heres a lineup of the various kinds of small bodies that orbit the Sun and sometimes impact planets and each other. (5, 6), Are meteorites on fire when they crash into earth? Slag (middle photo) is much lighter per unit volume than iron meteorites, and is frequently multicolored (blue, red and purple iridescence). all belong to the achondrite group. and approximately thirty Martian meteorites (SNCs) have been discovered on earth, and they
Contrary to what you might expect, most meteorites are not round. Geoffrey Notkin is a meteorite hunter, science writer, photographer, and musician. Most meteorites are fragments of broken asteroids, which are massive rocks that orbit, or travel around, the sun between the planets Mars and Jupiter. There are three main groups of meteorite. Meteor, Meteoroid, Meteorite. The word "meteor" refers to the flash of light that appears in the sky when a chunk of interplanetary debris burns up as it passes through Earth's atmosphere. Definition: A rock that is believed to be a meteorite but turns out to be an earth rock. NASA's Next-Generation Asteroid Impact Monitoring System Goes Online, Fizzing Sodium Could Explain Asteroid Phaethon's Cometlike Activity, October 2020: The Next Full Moon is the Harvest Moon, Pristine Space Rock Offers Peek at Evolution of Life's Building Blocks, NASA's AIM Spots First Arctic Noctilucent Clouds of the Season, Australian Meteor Crater is the Oldest Known, Catch the Geminids Meteor Shower Dec. 13-14, First Detection of Sugars in Meteorites Gives Clues to Origin of Life, Meteoroid Strikes Eject Precious Water From Moon, NASA Instruments Image Fireball over Bering Sea, The Usual Suspects: a Rogues Gallery of Asteroids, Comets and Other Witnesses to History, Our Solar System's First Known Interstellar Object Gets Unexpected Speed Boost, Tiny Asteroid Discovered Disintegrates Hours Later, Five Years After the Chelyabinsk Meteor, NASA Leads Efforts in Planetary Defense, Water Rich Meteorite Linked To Mars Crust, NASA Team Finds Riches in Meteorite Treasure Hunt. 1. Dust-sized particles called micrometeorites make up 99 percent of the approximately 50 tons of space debris that falls on the Earths surface every day. * For observers in the northern hemisphere. They have been little changed compared with rocks from larger planets, which have been subjected to geological activity. They can use photographic observations of meteorite falls to calculate orbits and project their paths back to the asteroid belt. Some meteor showers occur annually or at regular intervals as the Earth passes through the trail of dusty debris left by a comet (and, in a few cases, asteroids). Why do these miniature worlds fascinate space explorers so much? Click to enlarge. They are considered some of the most beautiful meteorites. Lumps or fragments of man-made materials, ore rocks, slag (the byproduct of industrial processes) and the iron oxides magnetite and hematite, are also common all throughout the world and are frequently dense and . Like ordinary chondrites, carbonaceous chondrites can be more minutely classified based on their mineral composition. NASA Mars lander felt the ground shake during the impact while cameras aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spotted the yawning new crater from space. Most meteor showers come from comets, whose material is quite fragile. Achondrite. is normally only visible when iron meteorites are cut into slabs, polished, and then
A small meteorite may be the first discovered from the Martian surface or crust. When magma cools and crystallises, it creates a concentric layered structure. $.fancybox.update() // Gets called automatically on FF but not webkit In sandy deserts with large, open regions of sand and few rocks, dark meteorites stand out clearly. are known as "chondrites.". Most meteorites look very much like rocks found on Earth, except meteorites usually have a dark, burned exterior. 18th Century. If your specimen isnt magnetic, it probably isnt a meteorite. Meteorites are space rocks that fall to Earths surface. Much of meteorite classification is based, in fact, on how much iron a
Scientists have divided these meteorites into three main types: stony, iron, and stony-iron. Stones are similar to rocks found on the earth in that they are composed primarily of silicate minerals, that is, compounds consisting of silicon, oxygen, and various metallic elements. The samples below are a comparative guide of common "meteor-wrongs" and real meteorites. About 55 miles above Earth, minuscule fireballs leave a puff of tiny particles called meteoric smoke. This year, the peak is during the overnight hours of December 13 and into the morning of December 14. up and their reaction is, almost without fail, to exclaim: "Wow, it's so heavy!". Photo by Geoffrey Notkin, copyright Aerolite Meteorites. Most are small and fall into the oceans and are never found. Meteorites are space rocks that fall to Earth's surface. There are three main types of meteorites: Each group can be split into many more classes and types depending on the minerals, structure and chemistry. There are two subgroups: Pallasites and Mesosiderites. (8, 1), Stony-iron meteorites are the rarest of the three types of meteorites and contain an equal mixture of silicates and a nickel-iron alloy. Many scientists think the large meteorite that created the Chicxulub Cratermeasuring roughly 10 kilometers (6 miles) widetriggered the extinction of the dinosaurs and other animal and plant life 65 million years ago. and when someone does pick up an iron meteorite for the first time their face lights
These tiny grains originated in the solar nebula, and therefore pre-date
museums, and schools, I always enjoy commencing the presentation by passing around a
terrestrial rocks, and it can take a skilled eye to spot them when meteorite hunting
Stone meteorites that contain these chondrules
Browse 2,447 meteorite stock photos and images available, or search for meteorite crash or meteorite impact to find more great stock photos and pictures. It's one of the best-preserved meteorites of its kind ever found. Attack of the meteorite. Stony-Iron Meteorite: A sea of gold and orange olivine crystals (the gemstone peridot) lie suspended in a matrix of extraterrestrial iron-nickel in this polished slice of the Imilac pallasite, first discovered in Chile's remote Atacama Desert in 1822. They are very rare, making up about 3 percent of all known meteorites. "half" and "iron," and they are very rare. or one of many terrestrial rocks known as meteor-wrongs. What is a meteorite? Do we really find lunar and martian rocks on the surface of our own planet? It weighs 16.5 tons (15 tonnes) and is one of the largest meteorites ever found. New research shows streams of meteoroids striking the Moon infuse the thin lunar atmosphere with a short-lived water vapor. Planetary achondrites are simply achondrites that come from the moon or Mars. Recently, A NASA scientist analyzed the age of the Yarrabubba meteor crater in Australia and found it to be 2.229 billion years old, making it now the oldest crater currently known. Stone meteorite: Detail of prepared slice of the carbonaceous chondrite Allende, which was seen to fall in Chihuahua, Mexico on the night of February 8, 1969, following a massive fireball. In the first known case of an extraterrestrial object to have injured a human being in the U.S., Ann Hodges of Sylacauga, Alabama, was severely bruised by a 8-pound (3.6-kilogram) stony meteorite that crashed through her roof in November 1954. That is called a meteorite, and a large one sometimes leaves a hole in the ground called a crater.. A rock that has not yet hit the atmosphere is called a "meteoroid". (6, 7), Are meteorites heavy? More than 1,600 people were injured in the blast, mostly due to broken glass. Typically less than 5 percent of the original object will ever make it down to the ground. The most famous CV meteorite is probably the Allende meteorite, which fell to Earth near Pueblo de Allende, Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1969. . Photo by Geoffrey Notkin, copyright Aerolite Meteorites. meteorite impact. Most meteorites found on Earth come from shattered asteroids, although some come from Mars or the Moon. The name tektite is derived from the Greek tektos, or melted. iron for them to easily adhere to a powerful magnet. It is used to describe the streak of light produced as matter in the solar system falls into Earth's atmosphere creating temporary incandescence resulting from atmospheric friction. meteorites, often selling on the collectors' market for up to $1,000 per gram, making
Also, please include several pictures of the item(s), including a clear close up and one with a ruler for scale (see in the pictures to the left). This summer offers plenty of opportunities for skywatchers looking to observe Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and meteors--with or without a telescope. Some of those were also sold and two of them ended up on Ebay in the US. in the 19th Century. The rocky planets Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars were formed in this way, giving them planetary crusts, mantles and cores. Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. meteorite crystallised and how the concen-trations of nickel and iron changed as the meteorite cooled down. Comets also create meteoroids as they orbit the sun and shed dust and debris.When a meteoroid enters the Earth's upper atmosphere, it heats up due to friction . Locally, hundreds of reindeer were killed, but there was no direct evidence that any person perished in the blast. We have gathered together the photographs of as many different meteorites as we could put our hands on and offer them to you here for your viewing pleasure. Meteorites are classified into three main types: stones, stony-irons, and irons. There are so many different types of meteorites that it can be confusing trying to learn the differences. OVER 200 pictures of authenticated meteorites : Meteorite Identification Pictures . The groups indicate the meteorites quantity of iron. A less catastrophic impact hit a driveway in Peekskill, New York, in 1992. The oldest we have recorded clock in at 4.56 billion years old, especially those that come from asteroids. If the proportion of nickel is inside the range for meteorites, you may have a meteorite. Classification: ataxite iron meteorite (nickel-rich). Early Earth experienced many large meteor impacts that caused extensive destruction. Nickel Test: Run a chemical test for nickel. Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. The Meteorite Exchange, Inc. A meteor is what happens when a meteoroid - a small piece of an asteroid or comet - burns up upon entering Earth's atmosphere, creating a streak of light in the sky. 2023 All rights Reserved. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. NASA's Next-Generation Asteroid Impact Monitoring System Goes Online, Fizzing Sodium Could Explain Asteroid Phaethon's Cometlike Activity, October 2020: The Next Full Moon is the Harvest Moon, Pristine Space Rock Offers Peek at Evolution of Life's Building Blocks, NASA's AIM Spots First Arctic Noctilucent Clouds of the Season, 2016 Arizona Meteorite Fall Points Researchers to Source of LL Chondrites, Australian Meteor Crater is the Oldest Known, Catch the Geminids Meteor Shower Dec. 13-14, About the Upcoming (maybe) Alpha Monocerotid Meteor Shower Outburst, First Detection of Sugars in Meteorites Gives Clues to Origin of Life, Meteoroid Strikes Eject Precious Water From Moon, NASA Instruments Image Fireball over Bering Sea, The Usual Suspects: a Rogues Gallery of Asteroids, Comets and Other Witnesses to History, Our Solar System's First Known Interstellar Object Gets Unexpected Speed Boost, Tiny Asteroid Discovered Disintegrates Hours Later, Five Years After the Chelyabinsk Meteor, NASA Leads Efforts in Planetary Defense. Because achondrites closely resemble terrestrial rocks to the . There are three subtypes of this group: chondrites, achondrites, and a third, more rare group, planetary achondrites. About one hundred different lunar meteorites (lunaites)
Photo by Leigh Anne DelRay, copyright Aerolite Meteorites. It does not occur on earth rocks and will disappear over time due to weathering, but it can be seen on some fresh meteorites. Possibilities include: Your state geological survey. While meteoroids are still in space, they are cold. There can be wide variation in the texture and mix of minerals present within iron meteorites, which will produce many groups and subtypes. As you can see from the pictures that follow, they all look different; there is no single "general" appearance. All rights reserved. process are measured and the average bandwidth is used to subdivide iron meteorites into
This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again. Several meteors per hour can usually be seen on any given night. 2023 All rights Reserved. Window Test: One of the last tests to perform. When properly prepared, pallasites are among the most alluring of meteorite, and are highly prized by collectors, both because of their rarity and beauty. The new system improves NASA's capabilities to assess the impact risk of asteroids that can come close to our planet. (8, 1), Iron meteorites are the most recognizable types of meteorites even though they arent the most common. Falling meteorite, asteroid, comet on Earth. By studying meteorites we can learn about early conditions and processes in the solar systems history. Asteroids, comets, Kuiper Belt Objectsall kinds of small bodies of rock, metal and ice are in constant motion as they orbit the Sun. It was a witnessed fall (1960) and is a rare type of achondritea stone meteorite which does not contain chondrules. Many people have been to the desert, or river, or perhaps even their own backyard and found a rock that is unusual. black matrix when cut and polished-the seemingly random mixture of inclusions leading
The explosion released the energy equivalent of around 440,000 tons of TNT and generated a shock wave that blew out windows over 200 square miles (518 square kilometers) and damaged buildings. There are actually dozens of meteorite types, but those shown here are some of the most common or most popular. Click to enlarge. They also have a rock and mineral resource list with more pictures, descriptions and maps. The LL group has a low amount of iron and a low amount of metal in general. Meteorite Lakes. intended only as a brief overview of the topic. An iron with very narrow bands, less than 1 mm, would
Pictures and discussion of various types of meteorites. There are many classifications of achondrites. Freshly fallen stones will exhibit a black fusion crust, created as the
But, seeing a picture of them and especially their internal structure can make it much easier. Jenniskens. However, if the rock you've found isn't at all close to black or brown in color, then it is not a meteorite. There, more than 50,000 years ago, a meteorite weighing about 270,000 metric tons (300,000 tons) slammed into the Earth with the force of 2.5 million tons of TNT. We use them to improve our website and content, and to tailor our digital advertising on third-party platforms. Scientists can tell where meteorites originate based on several lines of evidence. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. 'Oumuamua, the first known interstellar object to travel through our solar system, got an unexpected boost in speed and shift in trajectory last year, a new study shows. All of the pictures on this page are of authenticated and well-studied meteorites. Image type. When an unusual rock fell to Earth in 1795, it prompted the first large-scale investigation into the origin of meteorites. Click to enlarge. Despite its small size, this space rock is a colossal find. In theory, small pieces of Mercury or Venus could have also reached Earth, but none have been conclusively identified. They can also compare compositional properties of meteorites to the different classes of asteroids. The word mesosiderite is derived from the Greek for
Meteorite royalty-free images. This fusion crust forms as the meteorites outer surface melts while passing through the atmosphere. The new system improves NASA's capabilities to assess the impact risk of asteroids that can come close to our planet. Meteorite Identification: The Magnet Test. Lab testing : Abee, Canada, EH4 chondrite. Meteor showers appear when crumbs of dust (meteoroids) from asteroids or comets enter Earth's atmosphere at very high speeds. Meteorites are fascinating visitors from space and one of the best ways to get to know them is to see them in detail. Meteorites that originate from asteroids are all ~4.5 billion years old. The CV group is named after a meteorite that crashed near the city of Vigarano, Italy, in 1910. Tektites are popular as "raw stones" for jewelry or as display pieces. National Geographic News: Meteorite Impact Reformulated Earths Crust, The Meteoritical Society: Search the Meteoritical Bulletin Database, National Geographic Projects: Patagonia Meteorite Impact Field Project, NASA Solar System Exploration: Meteors & Meteorites. Stony iron meteorites are the third type and the rarest of the meteorites accounting for the remaining 1% of all recovered meteorites. He was born in New York City, raised in London, England, and now makes his home in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. It is often said that when the average person imagines what a meteorite looks
Photo by Leigh Anne DelRay, copyright Aerolite Meteorites. Types of Meteorites More than 60,000 meteorites have been found on Earth. When meteorites enter the atmosphere, they're moving really quickly. While most craters left by ancient impacts on Earth have been erased by erosion and other geologic processes, the Moons craters are still largely intact and visible. Martian rocks can be traced to the Red Planet because they contain pockets of trapped gas that matches what satellites and rovers have found at Mars. The Allende meteorite also contains micro diamonds, and is believed to pre-date the formation of our own solar system. Very few meteorites of this type have been found. Before they were meteorites, the rocks were meteors. Meteorites that fall to Earth represent some of the original, diverse materials that formed planets billions of years ago. Some of the rarest types of meteorites, the achondrites, do not attract magnets for the same reason that most earth rocks do not attract magnets - they do not contain iron-nickel metal. Mostly no. November brings planets, an asteroid, a comet and the Leonids meteor shower. Meteorites from the moon tend to range from 2.9-4.5 billion years old, while those from Mars vary from 200 million to 4.5 billion years old. Mars and the MoonAs of July 2014, there were 133 Martian meteorites and 183 lunar meteorites found on Earthnot a lot. The nearly 80 lunar meteorites are similar in mineralogy and composition to Apollo mission Moon rocks, but distinct enough to show that they have come from other parts of the Moon. Tiny Meteors Leave Smoke in the Atmosphere. and are believed to have originated within the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter. and stone and are divided into two groups: pallasites and mesosiderites. var $fancy = $.fancybox.current; Stony meteorites account for ~94% of observed meteorite falls, and can be divided into two distinct categories: Chondrites and achondrites. Create a small window to see inside. three main groups: irons, stones and stony-irons. olivine crystals. But how do we know? When a meteoroid survives its trip through the atmosphere and hits the ground, its called a meteorite. All groups of carbonaceous chondrites are marked with a two- or three-letter code starting with C. Carbonaceous chondrites are often named after the first specimen of that type recovered. They also contain some metalnickel and iron. These glassy objects have fascinated people of the world for centuries. The house-sized meteoroid entered the atmosphere at over 11 miles (18 kilometers) per second and blew apart 14 miles (23 kilometers) above the ground. Meteoroids become meteors when they crash into Earths atmosphere and the gases surrounding them briefly light up as shooting stars. While most meteors burn up and disintegrate in the atmosphere, many of these space rocks reach Earths surface in the form of meteorites. While most meteorites have a smooth surface with no holes, some meteorites exhibit thin flow lines or thumbprint-like features called regmaglypts. [2] [3] It consists of material similar to terrestrial basalts or plutonic rocks and has been differentiated and reprocessed to a lesser or greater degree due to melting and recrystallization on or . Elsewhere it can create a pattern of veins through solid metal. Russian meteorite Krasnojarsk, found near the Siberian capital of the same name in the
The . Stony-Iron MeteoritesStony-iron meteorites have nearly equal amounts of silicate minerals (chemicals that contain the elements silicon and oxygen) and metals (iron and nickel). Almost all meteorites contain
in the field. Studies of lunar and Martian meteorites complement studies of Apollo Moon rocks and the robotic exploration of Mars. When cut and polished into thin slabs, the crystals in pallasites become
Similarly, meteorites can be much easier to spot in cold, icy deserts, such as the frozen plains of Antarctica. surface literally burned during flight, and the vast majority of stones contain enough
It is our fond hope that the meteorite galleries we have created will provide a rich source of information and enjoyment. A . The mesosiderites are the smaller of the two stony-iron groups. crust of a planet or asteroid. A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon.When the original object enters the atmosphere, various factors such as friction, pressure, and chemical interactions with the atmospheric gases cause it to heat up and radiate energy. In the crash, molten metal mixes together with solid fragments of silicate rocks. Because most of Antarctica is covered in ice and snow, rocky meteorites stand out like chocolate chips in a cookie. A comet, an asteroid, a meteorite glows, enters the earth's atmosphere. Mixed media. Today, we know of about 190 impact craters on Earth. Carbonaceous chondrites are much more rare than ordinary chondrites. We can tell you. This "fusion crust" forms as the meteorite's outer surface melts while passing through the atmosphere. Jun 30, 2022 - Photos showing the different types of meteorites. Heavy iron meteorites are frequently solid, dark-grey in color. Recently, A NASA scientist analyzed the age of the Yarrabubba meteor crater in Australia and found it to be 2.229 billion years old, making it now the oldest crater currently known. There are many varieties of chondrite, with differences in mineralogy relating to the type of asteroid the meteorite came from. In 2014, Opportunitys sister spacecraft, Curiosity, discovered a meteorite that was 2 meters (7 feet) wide, making it the largest yet discovered on Mars. Social Media Lead: Ice-blue clouds are drifting over the Arctic and that means noctilucent cloud season is here. They are less common than chondrites. be a "fine octahedrite" and those with wide bands would be called "coarse octahedrites.". Design & Development: very heavy, and have often been forged into unusual or even spectacular shapes
Meteor Rain. $fancy.inner.css({"overflow": "visible"}); . This summer offers plenty of opportunities for skywatchers looking to observe Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and meteors--with or without a telescope. Also, meteoriteseven stony meteoritescontain iron, so a magnet will stick to them. earth. Scientists are able to tell the rocks came from Mars and the Moon because their composition matches chemical analysis of rocks conducted during NASAs robotic explorations of Mars and the moon rocks recovered during the Apollo lunar missions. No. Iron meteorites are the most massive meteorites ever discovered. The Bendoc Meteorite is believed to have been discovered by gold miners in 1898 in East Gippsland. Meteorites range in age. meteorite, any fairly small natural object from interplanetary spacei.e., a meteoroidthat survives its passage through Earth's atmosphere and lands on the surface. * For observers in the northern hemisphere. 3. (6), Are meteorites radioactive? This iron causes them to be more dense than earth rocks of the same size. They consist mainly of iron-nickel metal with small amounts of sulphide and carbide minerals. Asteroid 2018 LA entered Earths atmosphere at about 9:44 a.m. PDT (12:44 p.m. EDT, 16:44 UTC), and later disintegrated in the upper atmosphere near Botswana, Africa. The answer is
remainder comprised of nickel and trace elements. Often mistaken for a meteorite because of its melted look and is found everywhere. If a rock contains quartz. The pictures on this page are of authenticated, well-studied meteorites, presented here to show their visual diversity and are for reference only. Meteorite Impact Craters Meteorites crash through the Earths atmosphere with tremendous force. They come from the cores of asteroids and account for about 5 percent of meteorites on Earth. These diamonds are actually older than the solar system, and astronomers think they were produced as blast material from a nearby, ancient supernova. This website uses cookies - The cookie settings on this website are adjusted to allow all cookies so that you have the very best experience.. You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings. Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Mesosiderite meteorites are breccias, a variety of rock composed of broken fragments of minerals or rock cemented together by a finer material. Stone Meteorite: A 56.5-gram complete individual of the Millbillillie eucrite from Australia. Iron meteorites are subdivided into
The scientific jury is still out on exactly how pallasite meteorites formed. NASA astronomer Peter Jenniskens with a asteroid meteorite found in the Nubian Desert of northern Sudan. the formation of our planet and the rest of the solar system, making them the oldest
Receive email updates about our news, science, exhibitions, events, products, services and fundraising activities. Meteorites crash through the atmospheres of all planets and moons in our solar system. Stony meteorites, the most common type of meteorite, are generally composed of approximately 75 - 90% silicon-based minerals, 10 - 25% nickel-iron alloy, and trace amounts of iron sulfide. Meteorites are fragments of rock or iron from a meteoroid, asteroid, or possibly a comet that pass through a planet or moon's atmosphere and survive the impact on the surface (1). You must be over the age of 13. The absence of regmaglypts does not mean a specimen is not a meteorite. Impacts on the lunar and Martian surfaces by other
Iron Meteorite Widmanstatten Patterns Iron meteorites are composed primarily of various alloys of iron and nickel (primarily kamacite and taenite). Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. The Moon will appear full from Wednesday morning through Saturday morning. Large meteorites hit the surface of Mars and the Moon, blasting off bits of rock. Hoba, Largest Meteorite on Earth, Namibia, Africa. If you have questions about licensing content on this page, please contact ngimagecollection@natgeo.com for more information and to obtain a license. Iron meteorites are dense,
Iron Meteorite: Detail of a polished and etched slice from a siderite (iron) meteorite found in the Brenham, Kansas strewnfield in 2005 by professional meteorite hunter Steve Arnold. Tom Phillips Microscopic Meteorite Gallery, Meteorites How To Recognize Visitors From Space. Four hundred and sixty-five (465) Missouri residents have won jackpots of $1 million or more since 1987. . She or he will best know the preferred format. Thin section pictures of some are also included. Stony-Iron Meteorite: The mesosiderite Vaca Muerta shows characteristics of both iron and stone meteorites, hence its classa stony-iron.