Mitch’s Universe Archives

Russian Academy of Sciences Meteorite Museums and Meteorite Collection

By Mitch Noda | March 1, 2022 | Mitch’s Universe

I have always admired the world class Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), especially the meteorite museums and meteorite collection. The RAS was established on February 8, 1724 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It now consists of a network of over 1,000 scientific research institutes from across Russia and is now headquartered in Moscow. It combines members of the RAS who are

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Holey” Moly – The “Holey” Grail

By Mitch Noda | January 1, 2022 | Mitch’s Universe

From the knights of medieval legends to Indiana Jones, the Holy Grail has been the most sought-after Christian relic in popular culture for centuries. The grail is most commonly identified as the cup that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper, and Joseph used to collect Jesus’s blood when he was crucified. The phrase “Holy Moly” is an expression of

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H.H. Nininger and the American Meteorite Museum

By Mitch Noda | November 1, 2021 | Mitch’s Universe

My articles are under the heading “Mitch’s Universe.” The reason for the name is that the meteorites, tektites, and ephemera are all from my personal collection with only a few exceptions – hence my universe. I am fortunate to have them and happily share them with you through my articles. H.H. Nininger and the American Meteorite Museum In the early

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Fit for Royalty: Shirahagi

By Mitch Noda | September 1, 2021 | Mitch’s Universe

Like many cultures, the Japanese revere its meteorites. Japan is home to the Nogata meteorite which is the oldest recorded witness fall that occurred over a millennium ago. Nogata, a stony L6, is over six centuries older than Ensisheim. Nogata was witnessed on 19 May 861 A.D. and recovered the following morning by villagers from a hole in the ground.

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Paris Meteorite

By Mitch Noda | July 1, 2021 | Mitch’s Universe

The Paris, Los Angeles and New York meteorites share a common history of being meteorites that were found outside those large famous metropolitan cities that they were named after. The Los Angeles meteorite was found around 1980 by Bob Verish in California’s Mojave Desert when Bob picked up a couple of rocks that caught his eye which were 452.6 grams

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Meteorwrongs – Pseudometeorites

By Mitch Noda | May 1, 2021 | Mitch’s Universe

About a dozen years ago, I started collecting “Meteorwrongs” or “Pseudometeorites” for a few reasons. First and most importantly, they fascinated me. How could some Pseudometeorites look so much like meteorites? Yes, the vast majority of Meteorwrongs don’t resemble a meteorite, but there are a few that may fool even seasoned meteorite enthusiasts and scientists (without doing lab analysis). Having

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Sylacauga “Ann Hodges” Meteorite

By Mitch Noda | March 1, 2021 | Mitch’s Universe

Never had there been a confirmed person being struck by a meteorite. Yes, there were stories and rumors, but none reliable or confirmed, until 30th November 1954, when 34 year old Ann Hodges who was sleeping under quilts on her sofa, in her Sylacauga, Alabama home was struck by a grapefruit-sized meteorite at about 3:00 pm. The 8.5 pound (3.85

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Dr. Carleton Moore

By Mitch Noda | January 1, 2021 | Mitch’s Universe

In February 2019, I went to the Tucson Gem and Mineral show to meet some friends. Afterwards, I visited my good friend Dr. Carleton Moore at Arizona State University (“ASU”) and he introduced me to Dr. Laurence Garvie, Collection Curator for the ASU Center for Meteorite Studies, then we all went inside ASU’s meteorite vault. It was an honor and

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