I recently came across something on the web that looks simply amazing. A pattern hidden inside a meteorite.
The pattern is called a Widmanstätten pattern, and you can see it in the cut meteorite above. The angles of the metallic lines are only visible after acid etching, and the incidence of the angles all depends on how you cut the meteorite. The pattern is formed by the bands of two nickel and iron alloys, with both form as the meteorite cools over millions of years. Those two alloys do not respond the same when splashed with acid, which is what makes the patterns stand out so much after they’ve been etched with the caustic compound. And it looks amazing, like what something from space should actually look like.
Last four photos via The Messing Mineral Collection
