This is a piece of a large meteorite recently discovered in the Sahara. Its official name is Northwest Africa 14460 and its total mass after impact was 9.8 kg (21.6 lbs).

Meteorites are often discovered in Northwest Africa because the dry climate is kind to rocks and the general sparsity of the region allows them to go undisturbed for long periods of time.

Based on the composition of NWA 14460, we can determine its parent body was a type of stony asteroid called a chondrite—meaning it formed from the accretion of dust during the formation of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago.

Many asteroids orbit the sun in the asteroid belt, but many more also populate areas of gravitational resonance called Lagrange points.

Most of these belong to 3 major groups in Jupiter’s orbit named the Trojans, Greeks, and Hildas.

One meteorite displayed in an acrylic case