[meteorite-list] Ad - A Brief Primer on Lunar Meteorites, and some Unclassified Stones

From: Galactic Stone & Ironworks <meteoritemike_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 17 Jun 2017 11:57:51 -0400
Message-ID: <CAKBPJW-hf53KTA4Cu-sDLWWeB_hVK2p6mKJuD=F3t1ymYL7OPA_at_mail.gmail.com>

Hi Friends and Collectors,

I have some nice new unclassified stony meteorites that are worth a
look. I have also reduced the price on some of the remaining Moon
Rocks to encourage their sale - scroll down below to see the brief
article I wrote about lunar meteorites.

Use coupon code "metlist" at checkout for 20% OFF all prices.

Unclassified aerodynamic whole stone (239g) -
http://www.galactic-stone.com/product/unclassified-meteorite-aerodynamic-pyramid-stone-239g

Unclassified stone, probable type-3, (243g) -
http://www.galactic-stone.com/product/unclassified-nwa-meteorite-chondrule-243

Unclassified stone, partial oriented dome, (98g) -
http://www.galactic-stone.com/product/unclassified-meteorite-orient-stone-98g

Unclassified stone, obelisk shape for display (103g) -
http://www.galactic-stone.com/product/unclassified-nwa-meteorite-obelisk-108

Unclassified stone, uncut fragment (81g) -
http://www.galactic-stone.com/product/unclassified-nwa-meteorite-81g

Unclassified stone, uncut fragment (48g) -
http://www.galactic-stone.com/product/unclassified-meteorite-nice-uncut-fragment-48g

NWA 10203, Moon Rock (.478g) -
http://www.galactic-stone.com/product/unclassified-meteorite-nice-uncut-fragment-48g

NWA 10203, Moon Rock (.448g) -
http://www.galactic-stone.com/product/nwa-10203-lunar-meteorite-uncut-fragment-448

NWA 10203, Moon Rock (.441g) -
http://www.galactic-stone.com/product/nwa-10203-lunar-meteorite-uncut-fragment-441

NWA 10203, Moon Rock (.430g) -
http://www.galactic-stone.com/product/nwa-10203-lunar-meteorite-uncut-fragment-430

NWA 10203, Moon Rock (.385g) -
http://www.galactic-stone.com/product/nwa-10203-lunar-meteorite-uncut-fragment-385

NWA 10203, Moon Rock (.365g) -
http://www.galactic-stone.com/product/nwa-10203-lunar-meteorite-uncut-fragment-365

NWA 10203, Moon Rock (.339g) -
http://www.galactic-stone.com/product/nwa-10203-lunar-meteorite-uncut-fragment-339

NWA 10203, Moon Rock (.315g) -
http://www.galactic-stone.com/product/nwa-10203-lunar-meteorite-uncut-fragment-315

NWA 10203, Moon Rock (.305g) -
http://www.galactic-stone.com/product/nwa-10203-lunar-meteorite-uncut-fragment-305

NWA 10203, Moon Rock (.130g) -
http://www.galactic-stone.com/product/nwa-10203-lunar-meteorite-endcut-130

Thanks for looking and have a great weekend! :)

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MOON ROCKS : A Brief Primer on Lunar Meteorites.

A lunar meteorite is a piece of the Moon. In the purest sense of the
word, it is a "Moon Rock". But, when most people hear the phrase "Moon
Rock", they automatically think of rock samples brought back from the
Moon by the Apollo astronauts. This is why many people think that
owning a Moon Rock is illegal - because the Apollo samples are illegal
to own by private citizens. Apollo Moon Rocks are NASA and US
government property which cannot be sold or exchanged to private
citizens.

Lunar meteorites are "Moon Rocks" just the same as the Apollo samples,
except for one major detail : lunar meteorites were delivered to Earth
by Mother Nature, and not astronauts who are government employees.

Lunar meteorites are found on Earth because they were ejected from the
surface of the Moon by violent asteroid impacts. Asteroids slam into
the lunar landscape, and the resulting impact hurls great amounts of
lunar rocks out of the Moon's weak gravity well and into space.
Eventually, some of these ejected Moon Rocks stray too close to
Earth's gravity and are captured.

Once a space-borne Moon Rock is pulled in by Earth's gravity, it
begins a fiery plunge through the atmosphere that ends with an impact
somewhere on Earth. Most of these falling meteorites are lost in the
Earth's oceans, but some fall on land where they can be found and
recovered.

The Saharan Desert is a perfect landing spot for these meteorites. It
is vast, desolate, dry, and unpopulated. Meteorites that fall in the
Sahara are preserved for long periods of time by the arid conditions -
increasing their chances that they will eventually be found. Once
these meteorites are found, they are taken to a lab and analyzed to
identify their composition. Once they are confirmed to be of
lunar-origin, they are sometimes made available for purchase to the
public.

Purchasing lunar meteorite by private citizens is legal because the
countries of origin for most of the meteorites (Morocco and
Mauritania) have no legal restrictions on the trade of meteorites. It
is a classic case of "finders keepers".

Now, the obvious question is : why purchase a lunar meteorite? Well,
for some people the answer is simple. It is an awe-inspiring thing to
touch and hold. It is literally a piece of an alien world beyond the
Earth. It is a tangible piece of our nearest celestial neighbor that
has enchanted the imaginations of our ancestors for millennia. It is a
rock that was formed before mankind ever walked the Earth. Holding a
lunar meteorite is closest thing most human beings will ever get to
walking on the Moon.

Speaking of which, there are some silly but cool things you can do
with a lunar meteorite. First, you can place it on the ground and
stand on it - thereby joining the exclusive club of astronauts who
have "walked on the Moon". Yes, it's not the same as actually
travelling to the Moon, but it's much cheaper and safer than strapping
yourself into a rocket ship. Secondly, you can break off a tiny piece
and eat it. Why? Because you then join the exclusive club of people
who have a piece of the Moon inside their body. Heck, how many people
can say they have eaten a piece of another planet?

I know, that second example is downright silly, and I don't seriously
recommend eating rocks - it's bad for your teeth and your spouse will
question your sanity (and maybe revoke your credit card access). But I
would be a liar if I said I didn't immediately want to consume a piece
of the Moon as soon as I could - and I did. Call me nuts, but I have a
piece of the Moon incorporated into my body and that makes me cool in
my book (and bat-guano crazy in my wife's book).

On a more serious note, there are some logical reasons to own a lunar
meteorite. First, it's a great educational and outreach tool. Students
of geology and planetary sciences can benefit directly from studying
these Moon Rocks. Children are especially enchanted by a piece of the
Moon - it sparks the imagination and hopefully plants a seed of
curiosity and wonder that will result in that child growing up to take
an interest in the sciences. Lunar meteorites can teach us much about
the chemistry and history of our Moon, our Earth, and the solar
system.

Now is a great time to invest in Moon Rocks because it is a buyer's
market. Up until recently, lunar meteorites routinely sold for upwards
to $1000 per gram. But thanks to recent recoveries in the Sahara,
large quantities (relatively speaking) of lunar meteorites have been
recovered This has resulted in sizeable injection of material onto
the market which has depressed prices to historic lows. You can now
own a tiny piece of the Moon for less than the price of a fast food
meal, or you can own a larger piece for less than you would expect to
pay for a ticket to a baseball game. Yes, it is not only possible to
own a piece of the Moon, but now it is affordable for most collectors
on almost any budget.

So, where does one buy a Moon Rock and be assured that you are
actually getting a lunar meteorite and not a piece of driveway gravel?
Well, you buy one from an established meteorite dealer with a good
reputation - like your's truly who wrote this. Don't just go to eBay
or Google and jump on the first offering you see. Do a little homework
first. Who is this person selling the meteorites? How long have they
been in business? What is their reputation amongst the community of
collectors and dealers? These are all valid questions that should be
answered before coughing up your hard-earned money for a Moon Rock.

Of course, I will recommend myself as a source for Moon Rocks. I have
been doing this for 10 years and have a solid reputation for offering
genuine specimens from the Moon, Mars, and the asteroid Vesta. Yes,
you can also own pieces of Mars or Vesta thanks to Martian and Vestan
meteorites, but that is another story for another time....

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Received on Sat 17 Jun 2017 11:57:51 AM PDT