Meteorites at TCU
Oscar E. Monnig Meteorite Gallery offers students a new perspective of outer space right in their own backyard.
By Jarod Daily
Copy Desk Chief

To examine pieces of the heavens, TCU students need look no further than the Oscar E. Monnig Meteorite Gallery in Sid W. Richardson Building, Room 240.

The meteorite gallery, which opened in February, has more than 2,000 pieces from nearly 1,100 different meteorites, said Teresa Moss, director of the gallery. The collection is the third largest set of meteorites among museums associated with American universities, she said.

Only about 120 of the meteorite specimens are on display in the museum at a time, Moss said. The pieces not on display are stored behind the gallery, waiting for their turn to go on display, she said.

The gallery offers students a number of unique opportunities to learn, said Maria Baugh, a senior astrophysics and radio-TV-film major.

“You learn all there is to know about meteorites,” said Baugh, who works at the gallery on Saturdays.
Students who tour the gallery learn about more than just the meteorites themselves, Moss said.

“By learning about meteorites, you’re learning about the formation of the solar system,” she said.

Unfortunately, few TCU students take advantage of the opportunities available at the gallery. Moss said only about 20 to 30 people come in to tour the gallery on an average day and most of those people are not TCU students.

Moss said she has spread the word to the Fort Worth community about the gallery by contacting various service organizations and schools. She said word-of-mouth about the gallery has also begun to spread through the community.

“People tour the gallery then tell their friends and colleagues what an interesting experience it was,” she said. “That happens a lot.”

Baugh said TCU students do not check out the gallery because they don’t know about it.

“Either they don’t know the museum is there, or they don’t care,” Baugh said.

Many students who do come in only do so to get credit for an astronomy or geology lab, Moss said.

Moss said she has tried to spread word about the gallery across campus. The gallery hosted a see-and-touch Mars night in August and will host a similar night for Jupiter in April, during which students can look at the large gaseous planet through telescopes and see presentations by other students and scientists.

High school students touring the campus have also been brought to the gallery, which Moss said may bring in more students who know about the gallery and can spread word about it.

Moss said students should come to the gallery to learn about space in ways they would otherwise not encounter.

“By coming to the gallery, they’re offered a couple of experiences they can get only a few other places,” she said.

Of course, one of the biggest draws of the museum is being able to touch rocks that come from outer space, Baugh said.

“When are you ever going to be able to touch a piece of Mars?” she said.

In addition to hosting the largest collection of meteorites in Texas, the museum offers computer programs that simulate the formation of an impact crater, which Moss said many students find interesting.

Moss said another feature of the museum is a case with photos and articles about meteorites.

“Many people find it interesting to learn the difference between meteorites and Earth rocks,’” Moss said.