Catalogue of Meteorites
The Catalogue of Meteorites is a list of all known meteorites (reported up to June 2002). It records where and when meteorites fell or were found, what type of meteorites they are, and how big. The information can be sorted and searched, so that tables of different information can be produced.
The catalogue is used mainly by scientists who study meteorites. They need to know what specimens are available when they are selecting material to analyse for their research. It is also used to indicate which meteorite types are rare, and which are more common, allowing scientists to relate different groups of meteorites to each other, so that they can be linked to different classes of asteroids.
Dealers and collectors who buy and sell meteorites also use the catalogue. Often a collector might wish to specialise in collecting meteorites from a single country, or of a specific type.
However, the catalogue can also be used by anyone who is simply interested in finding out whether a meteorite has ever been found near where they live.
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The Museum's smallest members of staff are our flesh-eating beetles, Dermestes maculates, who strip carcasses to the bone.