British Meteorites

At present, access to meteorites is very limited owing to their rare and precious nature. Even in large musuems there is a lack of gallery provision and security/curatorial constraints which prevents meteorite display. Moreover, although meteorites are fascinating objects, in hand specimen many are not aesthetically pleasing.  Thin sections, conversely, provide eye-catching and very attractive imagery suitable for an online audience. Thin sections are the standard fare of meteoriticists, and provide information about origin and evolution of the Solar System, merely through observation of shape and colour of minerals.
The aim of the project is to provide access to these rare British meteorites online to a larger and more diverse audience to enjoy the collections than are currently able to through the NHM's current public offers.  The embedded text and supplementary information is to raise awareness and excitement about the origin of our Solar System and planets while integrating the scientific information about each specimen with its historical significance.