Equipment Needed
- Large piece of white paper or plastic
- Magnet
- Magnifying glass or a microscope (Preferably a microscope)
- Choose a clear sunny day
- Leave the sheet of paper or plastic outside in an area not covered by trees.
- Place the pan on a hard surface (Like the ground).
- Leave in place for 4 hours or more. (Collect before it rains.)
- Carefully collect the sheet by lifting the edges so any material collected rolls into the center.
- Carefully tap the sheet to shift all material to the center.
- Hold the magnet against the bottom of the sheet and gently tilt the sheet so the material which is not attracted to the magnet rolls off.
- Take the remaining material and place it under your magnifying glass or microscope.
- Examine your material, looking for dark round particles with pitted surfaces.
- You have found micrometeorites
Every day, literally tons of fine particles drop to Earth. A lot of this material originated at the same time our solar system formed, about 4 1/2 billion years ago. A meteorite is simply a rock of extra-terrestrial origin found on Earth. So, a micrometeorite is a very very small rock of extra-terrestrial origin found on Earth.
