“Stars don’t disappear, they keep blazing even when the night is over and I will still be
here, stargazing.” These words ego softly in my thoughts as I stare at the ocean of light above me. I feel insignificant, but at the same time as I am standing on the edge of
something vast and eternal. Mankind has forever been curious about space and hoped
to discover something big.
To us the stars look tiny and magical against the black canvas. But once in a while these
tiny dots make their way to earth. Namibia has received a few silent gifts over the years
from outer space! In the north of Namibia, Jacobus Hermanus Brits, discovered
something out of the ordinary while hunting on his farm in 1920, just outside of
Grootfontein. He came across a dark rock, of which only the upper part was visible. The
dark colour of the rock caught his eye, because the area is known for its yellow
limestone. He has never seen this type of rock anywhere on his farm. After proper
examination it was concluded that this peculiar rock was indeed a meteorite!
This was quite a discovery. It is not a strange appearance as the earth has always
received visitors from outer space, and it is believed that about eleven thousand
meteorites fall victim to the earth’s gravitational pull. But in most cases the fallen stars
are either broken or completely burn up before reaching the ground. This, however, was
not the case and the Hoba Meteorite managed to enter the earth’s atmosphere without
completely breaking up. The piece of rock that managed to reach earth is estimated to
weigh almost sixty tonnes. This is a marvelous discovery as this is the largest meteorite
ever found on earth! Due to the size of the meteorite, it was left to lie on its landing spot
in peace.
Unfortunately, vandalism became a huge threat as many have tried to cut off some
pieces of the meteorite. The falling star is considered high in value among rock
collectors. In 1955 it was declared a national monument to protect this precious rock.
Today visitors can visit the meteorite and walk around it. An amphitheater was built
around it, where visitors can sit and take it all in. Our friendly guide even allowed us to
climb on top of the falling star where we discovered that once you stand in the middle of
the meteorite it echoes! Only those standing in this specific spot can hear the echo.
This is yet another mystery of the falling star that no one can explain. The Hoba
meteorite comprises 82.3% iron and 16.4% nickel along with small amounts of other
minerals. It is classified as an ataxite.
Photo credits: Janke Murray
Namibia is world-famous for its meteorites. The most extensive meteorite shower, the
Gibeon Meteorite shower, is found in the south of Namibia. The shower covered an area
of 20 000 km².
This is truly a worthwhile stop. With no dramatic crater or towering monument this sixty tonnes iron rock left no visible signs of impact on the earth and quietly lies, half buried in
the ground, with its presence felt more than announced. It might look like just a rock in
the ground, but remember, this rock used to float in the sky and was a light in the
darkness!