Hoba Meteorite "The Heaviest Meteorite Ever Found"

 

In 1955, The Namibian government designated the 60-tonne rock a national monument, and it is now a popular tourist attraction.

The Hoba Meteorite, found on a farm in Namibia in 1920, is the heaviest meteorite ever found. Weighting in at about 66 tonnes, the rock is thought to have landed more than 80000 years ago.

Despite its gargantuan size, the meteorite left no crater, which scientists credit to the fact that it entered earth's atmosphere at a long, shallow angle. It lay undiscovered until 1920 when a farmer reportedly hit it with his plough.

Over the years, erosion, vandalism and scientific sampling have shrunk the rock to about 60 tonnes, but in 1955 the Namibian government designated it a national monument, and it is now a popular tourist attraction.