Guidance For Suspected Meteorites
If you believe you have a suspected meteorite you may send photos to .
Please attach clearly focused images of your specimen in proper lighting. It is helpful if you include close-up images focused on the texture . Please also state if your specimen attracts a magnet and if you have conducted a streak test, what color mark resulted.
Given security concerns, the Division of Meteorites of the Smithsonian Institution does not accept suspected meteorites for examination or testing. While we understand the excitement you feel in thinking you have a meteorite, it is likely either a terrestrial rock or piece of slag .
Due to limited staffing and security concerns, we are not able to accommodate in-person identifications. If you prefer to speak to a geologist in-person rather then send us photos you might try reaching out to a university, museum, or geology club in your area.
Staff will attempt to reply, however, as this is an unmanned resource account, it may take 6-8 weeks before we are able to read your email, identify the samples in your photos, and reply to you. Of final note, due to the high volume of inquiries received, only those objects that elicit further interest may receive responses from museum staff.
Tim McCoy
Mineral Sciences
Rock and sand specimens that have been struck by lightning, and pseudofulgurites from various localities. 69 specimens.
American Museum Of Natural History Unveils Shining New Halls Of Gems And Minerals As Visitors Continue To Return
As New York City welcomes back its gems, including restaurants and Broadway shows, on its road to COVID-19 recovery, the American Museum of Natural History is also doing so – in quite the literal sense.
On June 12, the iconic museum’s Alison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals will make its re-debut to the public with a major redesign and more than 5,000 specimens – including a 632-carat emerald – to marvel at.
“It is absolutely thrilling and it’s also such a positive thing, for New York and for the museum,” AMNH president Ellen Futter told Travel + Leisure of the Halls’ reopening, noting that the timing couldn’t be better.
“They are unique for this moment,” she said. “They offer the perfect antidote for pandemic stress and uncertainty because they’re so grounding, they’re so elemental and so joyful. And who doesn’t love something that’s shiny and gorgeous?”
Additionally, inside the Halls, visitors will find a temporary exhibit, “Beautiful Creatures,” which houses animal-inspired jewels with the most notable being created by Cartier and Tiffany.
The museum no longer has capacity limits, however, timed reservations are required until June 21 and visitors must wear facemasks. At the time of its September reopening, the attraction operated at 25% capacity.
“You can feel the change, people are here,” Futter said of the increasing amount of visitors.
Natural History Museum Of Los Angeles County Unveils Jewelry And Gem Exhibit
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County just unveiled a new exhibit called Brilliance: The Art and Science of Rare Jewels. Appearing in the museums Gem Vault for a limited engagement are more than 100 spectacular objects necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings and unmounted gems drawn primarily from the works of master jewelry designer Robert Procop.
The museum is encouraging visitors to discover how gems and minerals are used in a wide variety of fields, from jewelry design to scientific research in geology, chemistry, physics and other disciplines. Procops jewelry is paired with the museums mineral collection to encourage visitors to make the connection between the dazzling finished jewelry and the rough, uncut gems.
The displays will explain how scientists use exceptional stones to learn about Earth processes, and, in turn, gain a better understanding of how our planet works.
This is about discovery, its about wonder. Its an inspiration of what can be found in this mother Earth that has such rarities, Procop told the Los Angeles Daily News.
The exhibition, which opened on December 8 and will run through February 21, 2022, will include a number of head-turning pieces. Among the highlights are the 42.72-carat Pink Starburst diamond, the fancy blue 46.39-carat Celeste Diamond and the 21.01-carat Ceylon Star sapphire.
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This Redesigned Exhibit Totally Rocks
Sorry, we had to
The American Museum of Natural History has announced that The Allison and Roberto Mignone Hall of Gems and Minerals finally opened to the public this past June, and its not to be missed.
The hall has been part of the museum since the 70s, and closed in 2017 to be redesigned as one of the New York icons 150th anniversary projects. It was originally supposed to open this past fall, then in February of 2021, but because of the pandemic, it was pushed back to this spring.
We got to witness the completely dazzling display in person, and it did not disappoint!
When you enter the Halls, you truly feel as if youve walked into the worlds jewelry box, said Allison Mignone, vice chair of the Museums campaign. And we definitely felt that way too.
The piece de resistance is right at the entrance a 9-foot-tall amethyst geode, sparkling incandescently in bright purple.
Its back-to-back with another similar but taller specimen this one clocking in a at12 feet. They are both from Uruguay, and are some of the worlds largest on display in public.
At a whopping 11,000 square feet, the new hall has been updated in both design and tech: there are interactive displays, touchable specimens, and media.
Here are some of the unbelievable main elements the new space includes:
- 3-foot-tall cranberry-colored elbaite tourmaline that is one of the largest intact mineral crystal clusters ever found:
Plus:
We think its New York Citys most sparkling exhibit yet!
Visitors Are Encouraged To Bring Their Own Flashlight For The Full Optical Experience
The American Museum of Natural History in New York unveils a dramatic renovation of its beloved gems and minerals galleries next week. The hall was showing its wear and tear after opening more than four decades ago, according to the curator George Harlow, a trained geologist who specialises in mineralogy and crystallography. It has been closed to the public for nearly five years for the much-needed polish, which aims to better the visitor experience and show the museums unmatched collection of gems and minerals in their full splendour.
The hall is one of the most-visited areas of the museum, accounting for around 30% of its annual 5 million visitors, but for decades it felt like a mining situation, or like a jungle gym for children, Harlow says. This is a highly anticipated momentnot just for us who were involved in the project but also for New Yorkers who are smacking their lips to visit cultural institutions.
The modernised space includes dedicated galleries with more than 5,000 specimens of gems from around the world, some that have not been exhibited before, and a temporary exhibition space. It also features digital components, including an interactive periodic table that allows visitors to mix elements to produce their own minerals, and new vertical fixtures that open up the once-claustrophobic 11,000 sq. ft space.
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Planning And Architecture Of New Building
Owen saw that the natural history departments needed more space, and that implied a separate building as the British Museum site was limited. Land in South Kensington was purchased, and in 1864 a competition was held to design the new museum. The winning entry was submitted by the civil engineer Captain Francis Fowke, who died shortly afterwards. The scheme was taken over by Alfred Waterhouse who substantially revised the agreed plans, and designed the façades in his own idiosyncratic Romanesque style which was inspired by his frequent visits to the Continent. The original plans included wings on either side of the main building, but these plans were soon abandoned for budgetary reasons. The space these would have occupied are now taken by the Earth Galleries and Darwin Centre.
Work began in 1873 and was completed in 1880. The new museum opened in 1881, although the move from the old museum was not fully completed until 1883.
The central axis of the museum is aligned with the tower of Imperial College London and the Royal Albert Hall and Albert Memorial further north. These all form part of the complex known colloquially as Albertopolis.
Natural History Museum At Tring
The NHM also has an outpost in Tring, Hertfordshire, built by local eccentric Lionel Walter Rothschild. The NHM took ownership in 1938. In 2007, the museum announced that the name would be changed to the Natural History Museum at Tring, though the older name, the Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum, is still in widespread use.
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American Museum Of Natural History’s Gem And Minerals Exhibit Reopens Saturday After 4
NEW YORK — Gems and minerals are back at the American Museum of Natural History.
The exhibit reopens Saturday after shutting down in 2017 to be redesigned.
The exhibit showcases thousands of gems and minerals from all over the world.
Visitors can learn all about minerals — how they form, how scientists study them and how humans have used them throughout history.
The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Timed entry tickets are required. To make a reservation, visit amnh.org.
- In:
Major Specimens And Exhibits
One of the most famous and certainly most prominent of the exhibitsnicknamed “Dippy“is a 105-foot -long replica of a Diplodocus carnegii skeleton which was on display for many years within the central hall. The cast was given as a gift by the Scottish-American industrialist Andrew Carnegie, after a discussion with King Edward VII, then a keen trustee of the British Museum. Carnegie paid £2,000 for the casting, copying the original held at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. The pieces were sent to London in 36 crates, and on 12 May 1905, the exhibit was unveiled to great public and media interest. The real fossil had yet to be mounted, as the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh was still being constructed to house it. As word of Dippy spread, Mr Carnegie paid to have additional copies made for display in most major European capitals and in Central and South America, making Dippy the most-viewed dinosaur skeleton in the world. The dinosaur quickly became an iconic representation of the museum, and has featured in many cartoons and other media, including the 1975 Disney comedy One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing. After 112 years on display at the museum, the dinosaur replica was removed in early 2017 to be replaced by the actual skeleton of a young blue whale, a 128-year-old skeleton nicknamed “Hope”. Dippy went on a tour of various British museums starting in 2018 and concluding in 2020 at Norwich Cathedral.
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Lagoonfest Returns To West Palm Beach With Wildlife Presentations And Boat Toursyour Browser Indicates If You’ve Visited This Link
An elite but often-underwater beach town at the Jersey Shore is looking for its own solutions to back bay flooding, deciding it can’t wait for state and federal officials to agree on a fix. Bay Head is studying options to prevent, or at least reduce, incidents of so-called “sunny day” flooding caused by tides and rising sea levels, as well as major storm-related floods.
Yahoo News
Harry Frank Guggenheim Hall Of Gems And Minerals
| It has been suggested that this article be merged with Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals. Proposed since January 2022. |
The Guggenheim Hall was an exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, that hosted one of the world’s largest geological collections. In 2017 the hall closed to undergo a complete redesign. The new exhibit, called the Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals, reopened in 2021.
The Guggenheim Hall focused on petrology, mineralization and the anthropology of gems and minerals. It was the permanent home of the Star of India, one of the world’s largest star sapphires. The hall was operated by the museum’s department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.
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National Gem & Mineral Collection
The Smithsonian Institution mineral and gem collection consists of approximately 350,000 mineral specimens and 10,000 gems, making it one of the largest of its kind in the world. The collection is used for scientific research, education programs, and public exhibitions. Every year hundreds of specimens are loaned to scientists around the world for research projects in geology, materials science, health, chemistry, physics, and other disciplines.
The collection adds specimens in many ways: gifts, purchases using private endowments established for that purpose, field collection, and rarely by exchange. In particular, the gem collection has been built almost entirely with gifts from individuals. Continuing acquisitions of minerals and gems enhance the publics awareness and understanding of the Earths basic building blocks, and expand a scientific research collection that will be used in perpetuity.
In addition to the world-famous Hope Diamond, hundreds of other spectacular specimens form this collection can be seen at the Smithsonian GeoGallery.
Jeffrey Post
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Behold, the magnificent geode that opens the new Halls of Gems and Minerals. The geode is made of amethyst quartz formed nearly 135 million years ago.
For generations of New York City residents, the American Museum of Natural History was home to an indoor playground, tucked away in a cul-de-sac past the Blue Whale and Cape York Meteorite. Technically, of course, that playground was the museums Hall of Gems and Minerals, but the 1970s-era carpet and ramp-strewn exhibit made the room irresistible to toddlers, as well as to parents and babysitters who needed a break.
Dr. George Harlow, the museums curator for gems and minerals, says the hall had a reputation among staff.
It was the ‘Nanny Hall,’ Harlow said. Because it’s a cul-de-sac. They’d turn the switch off on their head and just make sure the kid didn’t escape.
Read More:We’ll Miss The 1970s Vibe Of The AMNH Halls Of Gems And Minerals
The New Halls of Gems and Minerals at The American Museum of Natural History
Removing the kind of 1970s flair does make the hall look like a more traditional museum exhibit. For Harlow, however, the changes represent a philosophical shift in how the museum handles its mineral collection, by presenting their evolution much as the nearby Hall of Human Origins depicts the development of our own species ancestors.
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Hillman Hall Of Minerals And Gems
Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems invites you to appreciate the wild variety and beauty of minerals and gems. This exhibition artfully displays more than 1,300 specimens from all over the world that come in a large range of striking colors, fascinating forms, and dramatic shapes. Hillman Hall has gained an international reputation as one of the finest and most important mineral exhibitions in the country.
Admire the bright green, mossy like texture of a pyromorphite specimen or find out what causes the delicately hued colors in massive pieces of quartz. Learn about minerals that make up everything from table salt to diamond rings, or check out some tools that mineralogists use like microscopes and Geiger counters. Watch how some minerals are transformed in ultraviolet light or get lost in the Masterpiece Gallery taking in each unique specimen.
Museum Offers Free Admission To Tribal Members For Novemberyour Browser Indicates If You’ve Visited This Link
The following is a news release from Idaho State University. POCATELLO– In honor of National American Indian Heritage Month, the Idaho Museum of NaturalHistory on the Idaho State University Pocatello campus will offer free museum admission to tribal members during the month of November.
East Idaho News
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Natural History Museum Of Los Angeles County
- Closed: New Year’s Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day
- Parking: Pay parking lot
- Metro: The museum is halfway between the Metro Expo Line Expo Park/USC stop and the Expo/Vermont stop, which are both very close. Several bus lines also stop nearby.
- Time needed: Minimum 2 hours for a walkthrough, up to a full day if you read the text panels and interactive displays, play around in the Nature Lab and attend any shows or special activities.
NHM originally opened in Exposition Park in 1913 as the Los Angeles County Museum of History, Science and Art in the domed brick building that is now the east wing of the current museum. The museum was expanded to approximately double its size in 1920 and doubled again in 1927-30. An auditorium was added to the west end in 1958-60 and a north entrance and fountain were part of a major expansion in 1976. The glass Otis Pavilion, which is the current north entrance, a new Nature Garden and a separate ticket booth off the new parking garage were added in 2013 for the museum’s 100th birthday.
When the museum opened in 1913, they had a hard time coming up with art to exhibit in the art wing, but by the 1960s, the County’s art holdings were substantial enough to warrant a separate museum. The art component was moved to what is now the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Wilshire Boulevard, and the name of the Exposition Park museum was changed to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County .
