I became interested in meteorites when a friend of mine had bought a small Campo del Cielo meteorite. My son, who was 5 at the time had asked to hold it. When he learned it was a meteorite and where it came from, it fired up his imagination like nothing had up to that point. He carried it around the whole day. Then he wanted one for himself. I had never thought meteorites were within reach of anyone but museums or folks with lots of money. I found that there were some that just about anyone could afford and may collecting began! During my research I learned so much about these fascinating rocks from space that I was hooked!

In addition to ordinary stony chondrite meteorites, I have developed a love for polishing and etching iron meteorite slices. It is tough work but very rewarding. My first etch was a Canyon Diablo slice. I had looked around online to see how polishing and etching was done and came up with a system of using polishing compounds used during telescope mirror making to get the fine polish on the meteorite surfaces. A super polish produces a finer etch when the acid is applied. It is an art form and has been one of the highlights of my meteorite collecting efforts.

So far I have given presentations at my astronomy club meetings and I have shown the meteorites and talked about them to my son's classmates. My enthusiasm for them has been infectious as I now have a few of my friends also buying meteorites (only from IMCA members.) The more I read and the more I learn about these wonderful treasures the more fascinated I become and I want to share that fascination and enthusiasm with others.

Sincerely,

Douglas A. Norton