Kaidun meteorite, Meteorite research site in Al-Khuraybah, Yemen.
The Kaidun meteorite is a stony meteorite recovered in the Khuraybah region of Yemen in 1980 and now held in scientific collections. It is made up of around 60 different minerals, some of which have only ever been found in material from outside Earth.
The meteorite entered Earth's atmosphere on December 3, 1980, and was observed by soldiers at a Soviet military base in the Khuraybah region. The sample was then transferred to scientific archives, where it has been studied ever since.
The Kaidun meteorite contains minerals never found in natural rock formations on Earth, making it a rare object of study. Researchers around the world analyze its fragments to learn more about how bodies in the solar system formed.
The meteorite is not open to the public and is kept in scientific institutions that store samples under controlled conditions. Access to fragments is reserved for researchers who work through official channels with those institutions.
The Kaidun meteorite is considered one of the most varied ever found because its material appears to come from several different parts of the solar system. Some scientists believe it contains fragments from the asteroid belt and possibly even from Mars.
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