Terms of use
Last updated 31 October 2026
These terms apply to your use of howardites.com ("the site"), run by Howardites from England. By using the site you agree to them. If you don't agree, please don't use the site.
1. What the site is for
The site is a free educational resource about meteorites, meteors, asteroids, impact craters and related science, for learners of every age, teachers, collectors and researchers.
2. About the information on the site
Scientific basis. The information on the site is scientific information. It is drawn from established scientific records and the published scientific literature, including official meteorite records, data from national space and geological agencies, and peer-reviewed research. It is written and checked by us for accuracy and clarity.
Current to the date shown. The information reflects scientific knowledge and the records available as of the date it was last updated. Each page shows when the site was last updated. The meteorite catalogue, fireball records and photographs are refreshed every few hours, news headlines every few minutes, and articles, lessons and other learning pages whenever they are reviewed.
Science moves on. Meteorite classifications, masses, ages, dates and other figures can be revised as research continues and new discoveries are made, and records from different sources sometimes differ. Where a figure is uncertain or changes over time, we give it as approximate and, where useful, say when it was measured. Illustrations, diagrams and maps are drawn to explain the science and may simplify it. Photographs show the meteorite named only where we say so.
Reliability. We take great care to keep the information accurate, complete and up to date, and we correct mistakes as soon as we know about them. Even so, no source of scientific information can be guaranteed free of error, so we can't promise that every detail is correct at every moment. For research, publication or anything important, check key facts against the primary scientific records.
Corrections. If you spot something that is wrong or out of date, please tell us through our contact page. We review every report.
3. Not professional advice
Nothing on the site is a scientific identification, valuation, authentication or legal advice. Only a laboratory analysis can confirm that a rock is a meteorite. Laws on finding, keeping, exporting and selling meteorites differ from country to country: check the law where you are before collecting or trading.
4. Our content
The site's design, text, graphics, games, code and the way our data is arranged belong to Howardites and are protected by copyright and database rights. You may view the site and print or save a page for your own personal, non-commercial use. You must not copy, republish, sell, frame or otherwise reuse our content, or copy it in bulk by automated means, without our written permission.
Some text and photographs are used under Creative Commons licences. They are marked where they appear, and the terms of their own licences apply to them.
5. Acceptable use
You must not use the site in any way that breaks the law, harms the site or its visitors, or tries to get into parts of the site or its systems you are not meant to reach. That includes introducing viruses, overloading the site and bulk downloading.
6. Books
Books on the site are published and sold by Corvanelle Publishing. Buying a book gives you a personal licence to read it on the site and to print it for your own use at home or in your own classroom. It does not allow you to copy, share, resell or republish it. Corvanelle Publishing's terms of sale apply to every purchase. Books follow the same scientific standards as the rest of the site and are accurate as of their publication date.
7. Messages you send us
If you write to us through the contact page, please don't include passwords, payment details or other sensitive information. We reply on the site, through the private link you're given. We may delete conversations once they are finished, and we don't have to reply to messages that are abusive, unlawful or unrelated to the site.
8. Adverts
The site may show adverts from Google. We don't endorse the products or services advertised, and any dealings you have with advertisers are between you and them. Adverts that use cookies only appear if you agree to them. See our cookie policy.
9. Availability
The site is free, and we may change, suspend or withdraw any part of it at any time without notice. We aren't responsible if it is unavailable for any reason.
10. Our responsibility to you
As far as the law allows, we are not liable for any loss or damage arising from your use of the site or your reliance on anything on it. Nothing in these terms limits or excludes liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that cannot be limited or excluded by law. If you are a consumer, you keep all the rights the law gives you.
11. Privacy
How we handle information is explained in our privacy policy and cookie policy.
12. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms. The date at the top shows when they last changed, and the version on this page always applies.
13. Law
These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction. If you live in Scotland, Northern Ireland or a country of the European Union, you may also bring proceedings in your own country, and you keep the protection of its mandatory consumer laws.