Meteorites might all be considered somewhat "famous" in that they are extraterrestrial bodies that have fallen to earth. Most of the time, meteors burn up once they come into contact with the earth's atmosphere; but sometimes these meteors reach earth still somewhat intact, and then we call them meteorites. Some meteorites are more famous than others simply because of their size, their composition, or the force with which they strike the earth.
Some of the most famous meteorites are:
The Hoba meteorite: The Hoba meteorite is the largest meteorite that has ever been found on earth. The interesting thing about the Hoba is that it didn't create a crater. It is believed that it entered the earth's atmosphere at such a shallow angle that it was slowed down by atmospheric drag. The Hoba meteorite is located at Hoba Farm, near Grootfontein in Namibia in the same place where it was discovered in 1920. It is an iron meteorite that weighs more than 60 tons.
The Anighito meteorite: The Anighito meteorite is the second-largest meteorite ever discovered and it weighs a mere 34 tons. It was found by Admiral Peary in 1892 at Cape York in Greenland.
The Willamette meteorite: The Willamette meteorite is the largest meteorite ever discovered in the United States. It was found in Oregon and it is now at The American Museum of Natural History in New York.
The Sikhote-Alin meteorite: The Sikhote-Alin meteorite made a dramatic entry on February 27, 1947, in the Sikhote-Alin Mountains in Primorsky and Khabarovsk Krais, Russia. A great many astrologers (both professional and amateur) spotted the huge fireball headed for earth. When the Sikhote-Alin meteorite hit the earth's atmosphere, it began to break apart but a the total mass of the Sikhote-Alin meteorite is estimated at between 70 and 90 tons.
