Finding Micrometeorites with a Foldscope
Dec 26, 2024 • 5:37 PM UTC
India
140x Magnification
Lesson Plan
Rafikh Shaikh
I'm a science educator interested in everything science.
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Recently, I was invited to speak at a conference on astronomy education in Kathmandu, Nepal. After the conference, I also conducted two workshops on microscopy using the Foldscope microscope with science teachers. These two experiences, looking at the vast cosmos on one hand and the microcosmos through the Foldscope on the other, kept me thinking. Where do these two interests of mine intersect? That’s when the idea of micrometeorites struck me. Could we find them and observe them using the Foldscope?
After coming back from Nepal, my colleague Avanish and I decided to try this out. We went to the terrace of our office, a place that hasn’t been cleaned in ages. Armed with a magnet, we dragged it through areas with washed-out sand, hoping to collect particles. Everything that stuck to the magnet was gathered and brought back to the office for examination.
We spread the magnetic sand thinly and started looking at it with a handheld lens. We were searching for particles that looked spherical because, from Manu’s post and some online literature, we knew micrometeorites tend to become spherical due to the heat they experience while entering Earth’s atmosphere. After a while, we found one particle that stood out. It looked spherical and shiny, just like what we were hoping to find.
We transferred this area of the sample onto a paper slide using tape and looked at it under the Foldscope. The particle appeared spherical and shiny even at this magnification, but the tape was creating distortions that made it hard to observe clearly. So, we decided to transfer it to a new slide and coated it with clear nail polish instead of tape. This worked much better.
Under the Foldscope, the particle looked melted and burned, which further convinced us that it could be a micrometeorite. We also measured its size using a 0.5mm grid slide. It turned out to have a diameter of 383 microns.
This experiment was such an exciting experience for us. It felt like we were connecting two worlds—the vastness of the cosmos and the intricate details of the microcosmos. Finding something that might be a micrometeorite with such simple tools was thrilling. While we’d need more analysis to confirm its origin, this experiment has opened up new questions and possibilities. How many such particles might be hiding around us? And how can we use tools like the Foldscope to uncover them?
We are looking forward to exploring more and sharing what we find!
After coming back from Nepal, my colleague Avanish and I decided to try this out. We went to the terrace of our office, a place that hasn’t been cleaned in ages. Armed with a magnet, we dragged it through areas with washed-out sand, hoping to collect particles. Everything that stuck to the magnet was gathered and brought back to the office for examination.
We spread the magnetic sand thinly and started looking at it with a handheld lens. We were searching for particles that looked spherical because, from Manu’s post and some online literature, we knew micrometeorites tend to become spherical due to the heat they experience while entering Earth’s atmosphere. After a while, we found one particle that stood out. It looked spherical and shiny, just like what we were hoping to find.
We transferred this area of the sample onto a paper slide using tape and looked at it under the Foldscope. The particle appeared spherical and shiny even at this magnification, but the tape was creating distortions that made it hard to observe clearly. So, we decided to transfer it to a new slide and coated it with clear nail polish instead of tape. This worked much better.
Under the Foldscope, the particle looked melted and burned, which further convinced us that it could be a micrometeorite. We also measured its size using a 0.5mm grid slide. It turned out to have a diameter of 383 microns.
This experiment was such an exciting experience for us. It felt like we were connecting two worlds—the vastness of the cosmos and the intricate details of the microcosmos. Finding something that might be a micrometeorite with such simple tools was thrilling. While we’d need more analysis to confirm its origin, this experiment has opened up new questions and possibilities. How many such particles might be hiding around us? And how can we use tools like the Foldscope to uncover them?
We are looking forward to exploring more and sharing what we find!
Fig 1: Dust collected with magnet
Fig2,3,4: Dust viewed through handheld lens
Fig 5,6,7,8:Micrometeorite observed through Foldscope.
Update :
A friend, Pallavi Kajrekar, who is an astrobiologist shared a few interesting papers and some ideas about what can be done next. Sharing her papers here:
Links to some really good papers covering these topics :
1) Schramm, L. S., Brownlee, D. E., & Wheelock, M. M. (1989). Major element composition of stratospheric micrometeorites. Meteoritics, 24(2), 99–112. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.1989.tb00950.x
2) Wainwright, M. (2015). Biological entities and DNA-containing masses isolated from the stratosphere-evidence for a non-terrestrial origin. Astronomical Review (Anoka, Minn.), 11(2), 25–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/21672857.2015.1087751
3) WRIGHT, I. P., YATES, P., HUTCHISON, R., & PILLINGER, C. (1997). The content and stable isotopic composition of carbon in individual micrometeorites from Greenland and Antarctica. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 32(1), 79–89. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.1997.tb01243.x
4)Genge, M. J., Gileski, A., & Grady, M. M. (2005). Chondrules in Antarctic micrometeorites. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 40(2), 225–238. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2005.tb00377.x
5)Noguchi, T., Yabuta, H., Itoh, S., Sakamoto, N., Mitsunari, T., Okubo, A., Okazaki, R., Nakamura, T., Tachibana, S., Terada, K., Ebihara, M., Imae, N., Kimura, M., & Nagahara, H. (2017). Variation of mineralogy and organic material during the early stages of aqueous activity recorded in Antarctic micrometeorites. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 208(C), 119–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2017.03.034
6) TAYLOR, S., MATRAJT, G., & GUAN, Y. (2012). Fine-grained precursors dominate the micrometeorite flux. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 47(4), 550–564. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2011.01292.x
Update :
A friend, Pallavi Kajrekar, who is an astrobiologist shared a few interesting papers and some ideas about what can be done next. Sharing her papers here:
Links to some really good papers covering these topics :
1) Schramm, L. S., Brownlee, D. E., & Wheelock, M. M. (1989). Major element composition of stratospheric micrometeorites. Meteoritics, 24(2), 99–112. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.1989.tb00950.x
2) Wainwright, M. (2015). Biological entities and DNA-containing masses isolated from the stratosphere-evidence for a non-terrestrial origin. Astronomical Review (Anoka, Minn.), 11(2), 25–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/21672857.2015.1087751
3) WRIGHT, I. P., YATES, P., HUTCHISON, R., & PILLINGER, C. (1997). The content and stable isotopic composition of carbon in individual micrometeorites from Greenland and Antarctica. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 32(1), 79–89. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.1997.tb01243.x
4)Genge, M. J., Gileski, A., & Grady, M. M. (2005). Chondrules in Antarctic micrometeorites. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 40(2), 225–238. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2005.tb00377.x
5)Noguchi, T., Yabuta, H., Itoh, S., Sakamoto, N., Mitsunari, T., Okubo, A., Okazaki, R., Nakamura, T., Tachibana, S., Terada, K., Ebihara, M., Imae, N., Kimura, M., & Nagahara, H. (2017). Variation of mineralogy and organic material during the early stages of aqueous activity recorded in Antarctic micrometeorites. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 208(C), 119–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2017.03.034
6) TAYLOR, S., MATRAJT, G., & GUAN, Y. (2012). Fine-grained precursors dominate the micrometeorite flux. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 47(4), 550–564. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2011.01292.x
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