It is my pleasure to discuss one of my old flames, NMM 516. This mesmerizing glass or vitreous (V) type micrometeorite is one of the most striking glass spherules that I’ve ever found.
Measuring approximately 0.3 mm, its size is quite average. In front, it is decorated with a nickel-iron metal bead surrounded by a narrow crystalline rim. Remarkably, the main body of the micrometeorite is completely intact and clear enough to reveal a small gas vesicle inside. If you look to the lower right, you’ll see a blurry section that almost looks like an inclusion; That is the vesicle.
Of course, the feature we most admire of NMM 516, is its ethereal pale green color, which is due to traces of iron Fe2+. Perhaps you might recognize this shade as being similar to thick window glass in vintage homes.
Another reason NMM 516 is very special — to me personally and to the community — is because it is the very first glass micrometeorite ever found in an urban area. In fact, I still remember the day I went stardust hunting in Nesodden Skole, Akershus, Norway in December 2015 and found this remarkable gem in a rain gutter.
I hope it brings as much joy to you as it does to me!
Just imagine: Something so beautiful and of such great cosmic significance could be nestled in the rain gutter of your home, your office, your school, your local grocery store. All around you, there is beauty, sent to you from the distant stars.
Please come say “Hallo!” on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to keep up to date with me and my colleague, Jan Braly Kihle. We continue to do what many scientists once believed was impossible and we’d love to bring you along on our adventure!
Yours truly,
Jon Larsen