Tucson ring meteorite, Iron meteorite specimen at National Museum of Natural History, US.
The Tucson Ring meteorite is an iron rock from space displayed at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC, weighing approximately 975 kilograms. It displays uncommon mineral combinations that reveal information about materials from beyond Earth and how planets form.
This space rock landed in the Sierra de la Madera in Arizona around 1850 and was put to practical use as an anvil in a blacksmith shop in Tucson. It eventually entered scientific collections where researchers could study its composition.
This rock from space represents a moment when Arizona was becoming known to the scientific world, linking frontier discovery with laboratory research. The meteorite connects the practical knowledge of early craftspeople with modern understanding of the cosmos.
This meteorite specimen is housed in a major museum in the nation's capital, so it helps to check the building layout before arriving. The display is well-lit and accessible, making it easy to examine the rock from different angles.
Scientists discovered an unusual mineral called brezinaite in this meteorite, a compound rarely found on Earth that only forms under conditions found in space. This find helped researchers understand chemical processes that happen in the early solar system.
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