SAN ANTONIO, Texas, June 29, 2023 – Get up close to meteorites that were recently floating through space, learn how meteorites are tracked and found, and examine meteorite crystals under a microscope. Welcome to Earth tells the exciting story of what unfolded earlier this year after meteorites scattered across South Texas and how scientists study meteorites to understand the building blocks of our solar system. The exhibit is on display now through October in the Susan Naylor Center at the Witte Museum.
On February 15, eyewitnesses in South Texas reported a bright fireball over the Rio Grande Valley as reports of a sonic boom started pouring in to local police and media. Soon, space enthusiasts, professional meteorite hunters and NASA scientists raced to the scene, and the search for the meteorites in the South Texas brush country began.
Welcome to Earth shares the results of their search. Five meteorites are on display, including a fragment that was “bejeweled” by sap when it crashed into a mesquite branch (also included in the exhibit). Museumgoers will discover how meteorite hunters find meteorites, be able to touch a 4.56 billion-year-old meteorite discovered in Morocco and observe a meteorite through a microscope while exploring how scientists use polarized light to study meteorites.
Welcome to Earth is open now and is included with museum admission. Tickets are available at WitteMuseum.org.
“Welcome to Earth” is generously supported by the Betty Stieren Kelso Foundation and Radiant Point, Ltd.
