“Cosmic gifts” fall to the ground quite often. They come in different sizes, but mostly these are small fragments in which it is not easy to recognize an unearthly origin. Astronomers even managed to calculate that during the year almost 100 thousand tons of meteoritic substances hit the Earth. However, space giants are also rare among them. One of such cosmic bodies is the Goba - the largest of the found meteorites.
Why meteorites are rarely found
Many people have a question: “Why do meteorites come across so rarely?” Indeed, 100 thousand tons every year is a rather big figure, but usually meteorite fragments weigh several kilograms, and sometimes even grams. Not everyone can understand that under his feet is not just a pebble, but a space alien. The small size of meteorites is due to the fact that when the Earth enters the atmosphere, the cosmic body heats up and lights up. The ablation process begins, as a result of which the mass of the object is significantly reduced. Most of the celestial shells do not reach the earth's surface at all. By the way, ablation is when particles of matter are carried away from the surface of solids by a stream of hot gas or by radiation.
How was the largest meteorite on the planet discovered?
Evidence of how the largest Goba meteorite fell on Earth, is no longer found. The fact is that this happened back in prehistoric times, when the primitive man did not know the written language. But a huge “heavenly stone” was found in the most banal way. While plowing his plot of savannah, an African farmer from Namibia caught something very large with a plow. Having cleared the plot, the farmer realized that it was simply impossible to move this monster from its place. The strange body attracted the attention of scientists who confirmed its extraterrestrial origin. They gave the find the same name as the farm where it was found - Hoba West Farm. This event happened in 1920.
The farmer who made the unique find was called Jacobs Britts. He came to Namibia from Britain. A unique find gave him the opportunity to enrich himself by selling meteorite in parts for souvenirs or for other purposes. But he considered such actions wrong and refused attractive offers. The farmer donated his find to the Namibian government, not immediately, of course, but donated it.
Weight and dimensions of the largest meteorite
Scientists failed to weigh the meteorite. They made calculations and found that when detected, the meteorite weighed about 66 tons. In addition, the theory was put forward that at the time of the fall to Earth, about 80 thousand years ago, the weight of this body was within 90 tons. But today you can see the 60-ton Goba meteorite, as erosion, cuts of parts for research and vandalism of tourists significantly reduced its weight.
The dimensions of the Goba meteorite today are 2.7x2.7x0.9 m. Its volume is 9 m³.
Meteorite composition
From numerous studies, scientists managed to get an idea of the composition of the "alien". It is officially announced that the Goba meteorite (Namibia, 1920) consists of 84% iron, 15% nickel with impurities of cobalt. About 1% is due to impurities of other elements. The top layer consists of iron hydroxide. The crystalline structure is defined as nickel-containing ataxite.
Thus, the Goba meteorite is attributed to iron. For reference, we add that according to the classification, meteorites are divided into 3 types, based on their composition:
- Meteorites from mineral materials are called stone.
- Meteorites from metals are called siderite or iron.
- "Aliens" of mixed materials are called iron-stone.
Classification helps to group samples by common origin. A meteorite substance can be part of a planet, an asteroid or satellite, any object of the solar system that exists at the moment or existed in the past. But this classification is not yet final, it can and will expand.
Mysteries of the Goba: where is the crater?
A huge meteorite threw scientists a number of puzzles. One of them is the absence of a crater. For some reason, the space guest landed so softly that he was able to keep in shape and not scatter into a pile of fragments. There was no disaster during the fall, and there was no crater left. Although a small crater could appear and then collapse over time. It is possible that the fall occurred at a very small angle.
Another mystery is the unique form.
The Goba meteorite has a very unusual shape. A huge block looks like an almost regular box. Fragments of objects of the solar system of this form fell to Earth extremely rarely, and they were much smaller than the giant Goba.
Scientists are surprised not only by the shape, but also by the external surface texture of the meteorite. The alien is smooth, and its surface is almost flat. Initially, the color of the cosmic body was blue-black, but the Earth’s atmosphere contains carbon dioxide, and the native iron that the meteorite consists of has become red.
Invasion of tourists
As soon as it became known where the Goba meteorite is located, a pilgrimage of tourists began on the fields of Jacobs Brits. They trampled crops and chopped off pieces for memory. It became difficult to live and work on the farm, and the farmer began to ask the government to put up protection. Several decades passed before the government of Namibia decided to heed the requests of the farmer. The Goba meteorite was proclaimed a national monument only in 1955. True, tourists ignored the government’s ban and continued to crack souvenirs.
The emergence of a tourist center
The final transfer of the land of the Goba West farm and the meteorite itself took place in 1988. 3 years before this event, Rossing Uranium Ltd. put protection around the meteorite from its own funds. And the destruction of the alien was stopped. After the transfer of land, a tourist center was organized around. Its territory is fenced, and entrance fees are charged. The money goes for the improvement of the center. So to approach a meteorite and take a picture on its background now costs money.
The center itself is like a botanical garden. Various trees are planted here, information signs are placed. On all sides neat paths converge towards the center, and in the middle there is a three-tiered open amphitheater and steps leading to the "hero of the occasion." When arranging a tourist center, the authorities understood that people would go there only for the Gob’s meteorite, so they didn’t zealously, ennobling the surrounding panorama. Some information plates contain not so much important information as humor. In one of them it is written in several languages: "Beware of falling meteorites."
Actually, there might not have been a tourist center around the meteorite. The fact is that in 1954 this stone of cosmic origin wanted to buy out the Museum of Natural History of New York. A huge amount of money was allocated for this, but the museum’s employees faced an impossible task: to raise and transport a unique object over a long distance. They could not find a solution to this problem, so the museum refused the idea of buying.
Double record holder
The Goba meteorite can be considered a double champion. Firstly, as mentioned earlier, this is the largest celestial object found on Earth. In fact, this space object is the largest native piece of iron on the planet. Secondly - he was never moved. For about 80 thousand years, the messenger of heaven lies exactly where he once fell.