How can I make a model meteorite?
Mix modelling clay or salt dough with small beads for chondrules and silver glitter for metal, shape it into a lump and paint the outside black for fusion crust.
Making a model meteorite is a fun way to learn what real meteorites look like inside and out. Ask an adult to help.
You will need: salt dough or air-drying clay, some tiny round beads or lentils, a little silver glitter or small foil pieces, black and grey poster paint, a paintbrush, and a plastic knife.
Step 1: Make the inside. Take a lump of grey clay or dough. Mix in a handful of tiny round beads. These are your chondrules, the little round grains found in most meteorites. Add a sprinkle of silver glitter or tiny foil bits for the metal flecks.
Step 2: Shape it. Roll and press the mixture into a rounded lump, about the size of a tangerine. Real meteorites have smooth, rounded edges. Use your thumbs to press a few gentle dents into the surface. These are like regmaglypts, the thumbprints on real meteorites.
Step 3: Make a crust. When dry, paint the outside black. This is the fusion crust, the thin black skin formed when a real meteorite melts on the outside during its fall.
Step 4: Cut a window. Before it dries completely, an adult can slice a small piece off one side with a plastic knife to show the inside, just like scientists do.
Now label your model with a name, and compare it with pictures of real meteorites!