American Museum of Natural History: New Hall for Ancient Meteorites
by Jan Aaron

American Museum of Natural History

Maybe Chicken Little was right! Everyday about 100 tons of space stuff falls on us from above—undetected as dust grains. Sometimes a rock or pebble of significant size will fall, and once in a while something enormous crashes down. Embedded in these sizable extraterrestrial treasures, scientists find striking facts about our planet, the sun and history of our solar system. To showcase the latest advances in meteorite discovery and interpretation, the American Museum of Natural History shut its Arthur Ross Hall of Meteorites some six months ago for a complete renovation. “The spectacular meteorites displayed in the new hall tell of the beginnings of our solar system,” Dr. Denton Ebel said, adding that meteorites intercepting our earth add to our understanding of our origins.

The focal point of the hall is the gargantuan Ahnighito (pronounced ah-na-HEET-o) on a raised platform, a 34-ton meteorite that fell to earth at Cape York, Greenland, the largest meteorite on display at any museum. “Bring kids as young as four here and tell them that huge rock fell from space, and they’ll say wow,” said Mordecai-Mark Mac Low, associate curator, when asked how old kids have to be to get something out of visiting the hall.

More than 130 meteorites are on display, including five extremely rare Martian meteorites, which are among the only samples of this planet on earth. Three moon rocks brought back by astronauts in 1971 and 1972 are also on display. Compelling also is the Allende meteorite that is more than 4.5 billion years old and embedded with even older diamonds.

The new displays are in a circle around Ahnighito. They illustrate what meteorites tell us about the origin of the solar system, followed by the formation of planets. Off the main room, a small theater shows a video on meteorites narrated by Sally Ride, the first American woman in space.

The final section is devoted to the hazards of things falling from the sky. Recently in 1992, a football-sized meteor streaked through the sky and crashed into a parked car in Peekskill, New York. Today however meteorites are low on the list of life’s risks..#

Museum hours, daily 10-4:45; The Rose Center remains open Fridays until 8:45 PM.

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