[meteorite-list] Falling stars: NEAF and meteorites

From: Michael Groetz <mpg4444_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 20:37:35 -0400
Message-ID: <ad733151003301737t22f612dbicfc7ca92e8aa348f_at_mail.gmail.com>

Falling stars: NEAF and meteorites

http://cs.astronomy.com/asycs/blogs/astronomy/2010/03/30/falling-stars-neaf-and-meteorites.aspx

Falling stars: NEAF and meteorites
Posted 03-30-2010 by Mike Reynolds


On April 17 and 18, the North East Astronomy Forum (NEAF) will take
place at Rockland College in Suffern, New York. This year, Astronomy
magazine will be sponsoring the meeting. This mecca of astronomy
goodies ? from companies who show everything from eyepieces to
telescopes of every type ? is one of the year?s best-attended shows.
The Rockland Astronomy Club (RAC) hosts NEAF and is led by my good
friend Alan Traino, who puts his all into NEAF, as does the entire RAC
team..

I remember my first NEAF. I thought I had died and gone to
astronomical heaven. I had never seen so many astronomical companies
in one room, albeit a college gymnasium. And in addition to all of the
companies and their wares, NEAF offers talks and presentations for
attendees as well as activities for kids and their families.

This year Alan has asked me to set up a booth that will have a number
of meteorite-related activities for kids attending NEAF. This is a
large bill to fill, but I?ll do my best. First I will have a large
exhibit of meteorites, tektites, and impactites. Nothing beats
learning about meteorites like seeing them firsthand. This display
will also include a number of meteorite items, from skillfully crafted
knives to meteorites depicted on stamps and coins. I also will feature
demonstrations and activities. Some of what I have planned for
attendees includes:

Demonstrations:

?Comet-making ? from dry ice, water, carbon, ammonium hydroxide,
silicates, organics; always a fun activity to see and clearly
demonstrates the simple makeup of a comet.
?Cosmic Killer! ? determining if someone could be killed by a
meteorite strike (a new activity I just developed for a science supply
company).
?Iron meteorite etching ? to show the Widmanst?tten pattern in
nickel-iron crystalline structures.
?Nickel testing ? confirming nickel in meteorites (first question: How
do we know if it is a meteorite or a ?meteor-wrong??).
Ongoing Activities:

?Classification of meteorites ? Irons, Stones, and Stony-Irons, with
identifications; I?ll also have a brochure available.
?Optical and hand-held digital microscopes for viewing meteorite
surfaces and interiors on a computer monitor.
?Magnetic meteorites ? a demonstration of magnetic properties.
?Meteoritic splash ? creating craters and rays in large tray of fine
builder?s sand; the top layer will show impact rays.
??Meteor-wrongs? ? how to identify many of the average so-called
meteor-wrongs like loadstone, granite, etc.
?Meteorite podcast ? my Falling Stars talk.
?Searching for meteorites ? kids that attend will use an ubermagnet
and search a large tray of fine builder?s sand for ?buried?
meteorites.
?Thin-section meteorite slides ? using projection microscopes, kids
will have the opportunity to see ?through? a meteorite.
As you might have guessed, these activities and demonstrations are
really for anyone and everyone. If you want to learn more about
meteorites and in a hands-on way, this will be your golden
opportunity.
Alan also asked that I set up a booth offering meteorites for sale.
Most of what I will bring will be inexpensive meteorites for those who
want a ?piece of the rock? at a reasonable price. There will also be
some spectacular meteorites available, from museum-quality large
meteorite slabs to lunar meteorites. I have been working with one of
my college students ? an art major ? to create some unusual and
stunning meteorite jewelry. I will also do a book signing for my
introductory meteoritics book entitled Falling Stars.

NEAF is always a fun event, and with the emphasis this year on kids,
outreach, and astronomy, I hope attendees take home with them our
enthusiasm. Next month we?ll explore more meteorite topics, and I?ll
have a report from NEAF.

Do you have a meteorite question? Collecting tales? Successful
meteorite hunts? A favorite meteorite or book? A must-see meteorite
exhibit? Please email me at mreynolds at fscj.edu. I will explore your
meteorite questions and more each month!

Keep looking up!
Dr. Mike Reynolds
Received on Tue 30 Mar 2010 08:37:35 PM PDT