Shelter Island meteorite was found on Mars by the
''Opportunity'' rover on October 1, 2009. It is about long.
History
Shelter Island was the second of three iron meteorites encountered by the rover on
Meridiani Planum
Meridiani Planum (alternatively Terra Meridiani) is a large plain straddling the equator of Mars. The plain sits on top of an enormous body of sediments that contains bound water. The iron oxide in the spherules is crystalline (grey) hematite (Fe ...
within a few hundred meters, the others being
Block Island
Block Island is an island of the Outer Lands coastal archipelago in New England, located approximately south of mainland Rhode Island and east of Long Island's Montauk Point. The island is coterminous with the town of New Shoreham, Rhode Isl ...
and
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island ( , ; ; ; ) is an island and resort area, covering in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the island in Odawa is Michilimackinac and "Mitchimakinak" in Ojibwemowin, meaning "Great Turtle". It is located in ...
.
Shelter Island may have fallen on Mars in the late
Noachian period and is extensively weathered.
See also
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Atmospheric reentry
Atmospheric entry (sometimes listed as Vimpact or Ventry) is the movement of an object from outer space into and through the gases of an atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite. Atmospheric entry may be ''uncontrolled entry ...
*
Bounce Rock
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Glossary of meteoritics
*
Heat Shield Rock
*
List of Martian meteorites
*
List of meteorites on Mars
*
List of rocks on Mars
Martian rocks and outcrops have been studied ''in-situ'' by various landers and rovers. While many of the rocks identified on the Martian surface are similar to each other, some have been considered scientifically important or otherwise notabl ...
*
Oileán Ruaidh meteorite
*
List of surface features of Mars imaged by ''Opportunity''
References
{{Portal bar, Solar System
Meteorites found on Mars
Rocks on Mars