Mineralogy

Monthly Archive: December mine

Mineral of the month: serandite

Posted: January 17, 2012 - 08:47 , by ROM
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specimen image a twinned serandite crystal

World's largest twinned serandite crystal.

Next Stop Mars! New NASA Rover Launched

Posted: December 30, 2011 - 09:30 , by royal
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By Brendt Hyde, Mineralogy Technician

A view of the shuttle launch!

Curiosity starts its journey towards Mars! (Image Credit NASA/Scott Andrews/Canon)

Green with Envy

Posted: December 21, 2011 - 11:47 , by royal
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Every day at the museum is a good day, but when a new object-specimen gets added to the collection, it is a great day.  It was a particularly stellar day in Earth Sciences when we were able to acquire this lovely princess cut, 23.24 carat peridot from Myanmar (Burma).

Green Periot Gem

Meteorite or “Meteor-wrong”?

Posted: December 16, 2011 - 13:00 , by ROM
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ROM Earth Scientists receive dozens of requests each year to identify possible meteorites. This is especially the case when there is a spectacular fireball similar to the one which recently streaked across southern Ontario on December 12 of this year (the video was captured by astronomers at the University of Western Ontario). Do you think you have found a space rock?

NASA’s Continued Curiosity for Life on Mars

Posted: November 15, 2011 - 09:46 , by royal
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By Brent Hyde, Minerology Technician

Did life ever exist on the red planet? This is a question NASA has been trying to answer for more than 40 years. In the next couple of years, NASA hopes to get some answers.

How Do I Identify a Space Rock?

Posted: October 3, 2011 - 12:06 , by ROM
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Originally published in ROM Magazine, Fall 2010.

I found a blackened rock that I think might be a meteorite. How can I tell for sure?

Update from Dawn’s Exploration of Vesta

Posted: September 29, 2011 - 08:20 , by ROM

Dawn Probe to Rendezvous with Asteroid Vesta!

Posted: July 15, 2011 - 11:29 , by royal

By Brendt Hyde, Mineralogy Technician

Our solar system is a very busy place! Aside from the 9 (no, make that 8!) major planets and their moons, there are 5 dwarf planets, 3 massive asteroid belts containing tens of thousands of smaller irregular bodies, and an untold number of comets.