* Astronomy

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Meteorite traders

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RE: Meteorite hunters

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Meteorite hunter: My two months in an Omani jail

Michael Farmer tells the tale of his quest for extraterrestrial geology and how it landed him in prison
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FallenStarHunters.com

Collecting meteorites is related to the field of meteoritics (the study of meteorites), and it is a branch of planetary science that is not only accessible to the layman, but the layman is actually encouraged to participate.
Once a meteoroid enters the atmosphere, it becomes a meteor - that familiar shooting star streak of light that kids make wishes on and adult stargazers delight in seeing. And once that meteor hits the ground, it becomes a meteorite. This rain of falling meteorites has continued, unabated, for billions (and billions) of years. The deserts and snowfields of the world are literally peppered with meteorites that have fallen to Earth. Many oxidise away and are never found because the Earth is not a meteorite-friendly environment. In space, there is no oxygen, moisture, or wind, so the meteorites exist in a nearly-perfect state of "deep freeze" where they are protected from the effects of weathering. Once the meteorites are exposed to Earth's air, wind and water, they begin to break down. Stony-type meteorites will simply weather away into their base components and will eventually lose their identity as meteorites. Iron-type meteorites will likewise rot into a pile of rusty iron shale fragments. If the meteorites are not collected and preserved, they are simply lost forever.

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Private meteorite hunters are not the bane of science. As a result of the harvesting done by Bedouins, Berbers and others, 32 specimens from Mars and 43 specimens from the Moon have been discovered in the deserts since the mid-1990s.
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Black-Market Meteorites

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RE: Meteorite hunters

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Land deals, meteorites and money

You may be familiar with Steve Arnold and his meteorite hunting. Arnold co-stars in a TV show called "Meteorite Men" which will enter its third season on the Science Channel. Arnold sat down with Eyewitness News to answer questions about the land deals and why landowners have not been paid any money.
Arnold says about a year ago, he realized the traditional way of selling meteorites just wasn't cutting it. So instead of selling the meteorite whole or slicing it into pieces for collectors, he decided to extract gemstones and sell them in the jewellery market. All landowners, including Weaver, agreed to this change. The problem? Arnold says the gems aren't making much money.
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Meet Michael Farmer, aka Meteorite Guy
Twelve years ago, a stock boy at Target purchased a chunk of space debris at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show that changed his life forever.
Today, that former star-struck stock boy thinks nothing of charging $20,000 to his well-travelled business credit card for outer space real estate the size of a Milky Way bar.

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When Funny Things Fall From The Sky

In my professional life as a meteorite specialist I frequently interact with curious and friendly members of the public who believe they might have found a space rock. Authentic meteorites are about as rare a thing as you can acquire: less common than gold, diamonds, or even emeralds, so the chance of somebody stumbling across one by accident is very small indeed. But it does happen on occasion. One of the things my company does is assist people who have found, or think they have found, a meteorite.
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