Lot 1006
Own a Piece of a Comet. The Murchison meteorite is one of the most important and well studied meteorites ever discovered. Murchison meteorites landed in Australia in 1969 and were found to be the most primitive meteorites known, virtually unchanged since they formed at the same time as the solar system 4.57 billion years ago. Murchison meteorites contain 12 per cent water and many organic compounds which makes it very different from most of the meteorites which originate in the asteroid belt. NASA planetary scientists consider Murchison to be cometary in origin being a piece of the comet nucleus which broke off during a comets journey around the sun. What makes Murchison even more special is that it contains over 80 different amino acids. On earth there are only 19 Amino acids that make up all living creatures while Murchison contains these 19 plus 61 different amino acids. The presence of amino acids in a meteorite gives us a good idea as to the possible source of the building blocks of life. In the earth's early history there was a tremendous bombardment of meteorites and most if not all of the water found on earth today may have originated in comets. This sizable specimen of Murchison weighs .963 grams and is 12mm x 10mm x 5mm housed in a special membrane box for observation on all sides. The meteorite is a black color with lighter gray spherical chondrules. The United States, Europe and Japan are spending billions of dollars to bring back grains of meteorite dust from a comet while you can purchase a much larger piece of a comet for a few hundred dollars.
Allow $15 for domestic shipping.
Estimated Value $350 - 450.
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| Realized $708 |
