Welcome to Utrecht Meteorite Lab

You will often hear a geologist quote that “the rock remembers”. While terrestrial rocks narrate a tale about the processes that shaped our planet for 4.5 billion years, to go beyond Earth’s history we need to explore the presents we’ve received from outer space. Meteorites are widely studied to help scientists answer big questions like the early conditions in the solar system’s history, the evolution of all planets, and even the origin of life on Earth.

We at Utrecht University host a prestigious inventory of 157 meteorites collected from all across the world. Given the delicate and valuable nature of these extraterrestrial rocks, they have not been accessible to the public as of yet. With Utrecht Meteorite Lab, we wish to digitalize and share the fascinating rocks with the entire world to use for research, teaching, or simply for admiration.

On our meteorite collection page, you will find a catalog of Utrecht University’s meteorite collection, including a quick fact sheet and 3D models to zoom into the external texture of the rock.

The idea behind Utrecht meteorite lab has been inspired by Delft Meteorite Lab.

May you be an amateur astronomy enthusiast, or a planetary scientist, come unravel the mysteries of the universe with us at Utrecht Meteorite Lab.