Event 2: UCLA Meteorite Gallery

On May 15th, I was able to visit the UCLA Meteorite Gallery with a couple of my friends. It was a great experience visiting the gallery with my friends, as were able to discuss our thoughts on the different exhibits together, which made the whole visit more enjoyable. Although I had some background knowledge on meteorites through the various science classes I have taken, I was surprised and interested by the diversity of the meteorites that were present in the gallery. 

Kinsella - IIIAB Iron Meteorite

During my visit, I was able to view each of the meteorites in some detail because of the small size of the gallery, which allowed me to truly see the diversity between them. For example, there was a very large variation in the size and weight of the meteorites, as there were some ranging from under 20 centimeters long, such as the Kinsella IIIAB iron meteorite, to others, such as the Gibeon Iron Meteorite, which weighed 811 pounds. This meteorite was extremely interesting to me because of the sheer weight of the specimen, as from its size, I would never expect to be anywhere near 800 pounds. In addition to my surprise, my friends were also shocked to find out the actual weight of the meteorite, which highlights the unique nature of the meteorite. Another specimen that was very interesting to me because of its size was the Old Woman Iron Meteorite. Although both the Gibeon Iron Meteorite and the Old Woman Iron Meteorite are both very heavy meteorites, it was interesting to see the contrasting shapes between the two, as the Old Woman Meteorite was much larger in terms of physical size than the Gibeon Iron Meteorite. 

Gibeon Iron Meteorite

Old Woman Iron Meteorite

The incredible variety of the meteorites that I was able to view during my visit to the UCLA Meteorite helped me think back to the idea of the Two Cultures introduced by C.P Snow. The idea of the two cultures revolves around the relationship between art and science and how it has deteriorated over the years. However, upon attending the gallery, I was able to see a clear connection science and art have through the meteorites, as I was able to see the scientific discoveries that were made to better help identify these meteorites in greater detail, and I was also able to see the unique artistic qualities each meteorite had.