Petrography of astromaterials
Meteorite thin sections preserve a microscopic record of planetary formation, thermal metamorphism, aqueous alteration, shock processes and parent-body evolution. Under plane-polarized light, mineral transparency, fractures, opaques and textural relationships can be examined. Under cross-polarized light, interference colours, extinction, twinning and crystal orientation reveal additional information about the mineral phases and their history.
MeteoMicroscope is an educational and scientific visualization tool developed by ADARA Institute to make this petrographic information accessible through an interactive interface. By moving the divider across the image, visitors can compare the same microscopic field in PPL and XPL and observe how the optical response changes across minerals, chondrules, matrix, shock veins or alteration domains.
