These spheres are crafted from the Aletai iron meteorite, discovered in 1898 in the Altay region of Xinjiang, northwest China. The meteorite is classified as a coarse octahedrite and formed over 4.5 billion years ago within the metallic interior of an ancient asteroid. After polishing and etching, the Widmanstätten pattern becomes visible across the surface, revealing a natural crystalline structure of nickel-iron metal formed during extremely slow cooling in space.
Every Aletai meteorite sphere displays a unique network of metallic crystal bands. These patterns formed gradually as the parent asteroid cooled over millions of years, preserving a record of early solar system materials. Their distinctive etching and extraterrestrial origin make them desirable specimens for meteorite collectors and scientific displays.
