The exhibition "Meteorites – Visitors from Space" at the Natural History Museum at the Regional Museum of History in Burgas

Tens of thousands of rock fragments enter our planet's atmosphere, but most of them, which are about the size of a grain of rice, burn up before they hit the Earth's surface. These extraterrestrial rocks are interesting to study and collect because they offer the opportunity to piece together the history of the birth and evolution of the Solar System.
The Meteorites collection at the Natural History Museum was donated by Andrei Barakshin from Russia and Georgi Penev from Bulgaria, meteorite hunters and collectors. Some of the space samples on display are their own finds.
The exhibition presents the main types of meteorites – stony (chondrites and achondrites), stony-iron (pallasites), and iron, found in Sweden, the Czech Republic, Russia, China, Brazil, Cuba, Chile, Mauritania, Namibia, Morocco, Kenya, and Libya.
On display are: the Imilak meteorite found in the Atacama Desert in Chile in 1822; Vinales from Pinar del Rio, Cuba, which fell in 2019; and a chondrite that fell on February 15, 2013, in Chelyabinsk, Russia. You can see the Agudal meteorite from Morocco and a shock-altered rock from the meteorite crater. Most of the meteorites come from Morocco, which is a business for local meteorite hunters. Of interest are the tektites, formed by the impact of meteorites on the Earth's surface.
Seven posters/boards present topics related to the discovery and diagnosis of meteorites. We will answer questions about where meteorites come from, what distinguishes them from Earth rocks, and how their origin from Mars, the Moon, or other celestial bodies is determined.
The results of meteorite impacts on Earth are shown, marking colossal cosmic collisions, one of which contributed to the extinction of 75% of animals on Earth, including dinosaurs.
Meteorites have fascinated humanity and played a role in the development of human civilization, which is presented on the posters. The history of meteorites that have fallen on the territory of Bulgaria is told.
A presentation will be shown in the hall about meteorites, their impact on Earth and human civilization, and a brief history of the meteorites in the exhibition.
For more information on the individual topics, there is a QR code on the posters that links to the website of the Regional Museum of History in Burgas.
We look forward to seeing you on May 17, Saturday, from 6:00 p.m. to midnight.






* All events at the Regional History Museum – Burgas are in support of Burgas' bid to become European Capital of Culture.

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