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NWA 869 THE 2ND SPHERE OF MY COLLECTION PURCHASED MAY 30TH, 2006 My original NWA 869 Sphere was purchased from The Universe Collection at the same time I purchased my Gibeon sphere, I added it to my order after Ron and I discussed the characteristics of this classification. At the time, I requested that he try to send me 2 spheres very close to 2 inches (50mm). Although he did his best, the NWA sphere was noticeably smaller, only measuring 46.4mm. This may not sound like a lot but sitting beside the 50mm Gibeon it looked a lot smaller. I kept it in my collection until I bought a second sphere from Mike Farmer's web site, this one was exactly 50mm. Having a second 50mm sphere confirmed my desire to collect spheres in the 50mm range. The symmetry of the display was the driving factor but it was also interesting to see the weight difference between the classifications. Originally, the sphere had the usual muddy brown appearance, but after a discussion with Erik Twelker at "The Meteorite Market" I decided to soak it in Phosphoric Acid to remove the rust. It turned it the grayish blue color and revealed the brown and white patches you see in the below picture. |
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Name: Northwest Africa 869 - This is an OFFICIAL meteorite name. Observed fall: No Year found: 2000 Country: Northwest Africa Mass: 2 MT Classification: Ordinary chondrite L4-6 / Shock Stage 3 / Weathering Grade 1 Circumstances of the fall or discovery: It is quite clear that meteorite hunters in Northwest Africa have discovered a large L chondrite strewn field at an undisclosed location. At least 2 metric tons of material comprising thousands of individuals has been sold under the name NWA 869 in the market places of Morocco and around the world. Source: Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 90, MAPS 41, 1383-1418 (2006) |
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Here is an image of my collection after I purchased the second NWA 869 sphere from Mike Farmer but before I had soaked it in phosphoric acid At this point I decided to purchase slices & cut them down to 50mm squares to give me a better idea of how that material would look as a sphere
This image of the 46.4mm and 50mm NWA 869 spheres clearly shows the difference a few millimeters can make.
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