[meteorite-list] Announcing, PetroViewer!

From: Mike Fiedler <mlfiedler_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2016 21:17:34 -0800
Message-ID: <CANPcf8cAwQ=PRDGuz5iAifcs098OxCROhf+gw9jwht-Qcinm9g_at_mail.gmail.com>

Dear List Members --

Don't you love those photos of thin sections, with all the dazzling
colors, and the definitive chondrule shapes and all? And the cost of
a single section is often right in line with the cost of a nice
meteorite slice for my collection cabinet. So why don't I buy them?

I lack a scope to examine them with! And the scopes I've seen on ebay
leave me wondering, how functional is "vintage"? Am I ready to gamble
$600 to $1,000 or more, plus another hundred for a nice thin section,
to see if I am ready to go that way?

Then I had an opportunity to examine a thin section under polarizers.
Wow. Still pictures don't begin to reflect the fascinating effects
when polarized light meets birefringent crystals! You don't have to
be a geologist to recognize there's magic in them thar rocks!

I was determined to find a way to share that with folks who haven't
made the commitment to invest in a scope, and develop an expanded
collection of thin sections. I fiddled around for two years, and the
PetroViewer is the outcome.

I believe my market is the meteorite enthusiast, or the rock hound,
who has read about thin sections, seen the pictures, and still harbors
a curiosity to check them out. In fact, I would take it as the
greatest of successes if someone who experienced thin sections through
a PetroViewer was bitten by the same excitement I felt, and proceeded
to buy a real scope, and delve into all the petrology and mineralogy
that thrives around thin sections.

So today, I introduce a rather modest web site featuring the
PetroViewer. PetroViewer.com

I invite your comments, and suggestions, either on or off line, or via
the Contact Us page of the site. I have found it challenging to keep
my focus on providing users an economical way to experience much of
the fascinating phenomena, rather than try to share all the other
aspects of meteorites that I love. I'm certainly open to hearing list
member's reactions.

Thanks for any thoughts you might care to share.

Mike
Received on Fri 30 Dec 2016 12:17:34 AM PST