# is this a meteorite? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 31, 2012, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-meteorite/633240 "2012-08-31T10:02:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![finderskeepers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ed655f/32.png) [@finderskeepers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/finderskeepers)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-meteorite/633240/1 "2012-08-31T10:02:51Z")
I found this rock/meteorite on the roof of my house a couple of days ago. If it is a meteorite, does it seem ordinary or rare? Here are the photos: [![](http://tinypic.com/images/goodbye.jpg) ](http://tinypic.com/images/goodbye.jpg) [![](http://tinypic.com/images/goodbye.jpg) ](http://tinypic.com/images/goodbye.jpg) Any comments would be appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-meteorite/633240/2 "2012-08-31T10:05:12Z")
Is it magnetic? I’ve heard you can collect micrometeorites from your rain gutters using a magnet, so I’d assume a larger specimen also would be. ---
**Author:** ![FuzzyOgre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@FuzzyOgre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuzzyOgre)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-meteorite/633240/3 "2012-08-31T10:11:45Z")
At first glance, no. How to identify a meteorite. [http://epswww.unm.edu/iom/ident/index.html](http://epswww.unm.edu/iom/ident/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-meteorite/633240/4 "2012-08-31T10:12:49Z")
I was going to do this myself, but the wiki article says it well: > [@](#): > > Meteorites have traditionally been divided into three broad categories: stony meteorites are rocks, mainly composed of silicate minerals; iron meteorites are largely composed of metallic iron-nickel; and, stony-iron meteorites contain large amounts of both metallic and rocky material. Modern classification schemes divide meteorites into groups according to their structure, chemical and isotopic composition and mineralogy. ---
**Author:** ![finderskeepers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ed655f/32.png) [@finderskeepers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/finderskeepers)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-meteorite/633240/5 "2012-08-31T10:28:12Z")
I don’t have a magnet with me now but I’ll get the magnet test done soon. One strange thing though, there’s a shadowy region on the lower right corner in both the photos - it’s not my thumb in the way of the lens, and it does not appear while taking photos of other objects - it’s there in every one of the photos I’ve taken of this rock (and from different angles as well). ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-meteorite/633240/6 "2012-08-31T10:28:54Z")
> [@](#): > > When a meteor enters the Earth’s atmosphere the resulting fireball produces light, due to the friction between its surface and the air. Uh, no. Read “When a meteoroid enters … fireball, called a meteor, …” ---
**Author:** ![finderskeepers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ed655f/32.png) [@finderskeepers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/finderskeepers)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-meteorite/633240/7 "2012-08-31T11:05:16Z")
Update: @Colophon: It is not magnetic. It _is_ heavier than one would expect of a rock of that size. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-meteorite/633240/8 "2012-08-31T12:53:44Z")
Looks like it could be a pyrite nodule - those are typically heavier than they look, and often have a rusty appearance. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@Mister\_Owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Owl)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-meteorite/633240/9 "2012-08-31T14:33:06Z")
> [@finderskeepers](#): > > One strange thing though, there’s a shadowy region on the lower right corner in both the photos - it’s not my thumb in the way of the lens, and it does not appear while taking photos of other objects - it’s there in every one of the photos I’ve taken of this rock (and from different angles as well). If the flash you used is on the camera body it’s likely to be the lens casting a shadow.