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Our microscopy photos of the week show several views of a thin section of the meterorite NWA 869 in polarized light. Roughly 1.5 tonnes of this material have been found in Algeria. It has been shown that this ordinary chondrite came from the asteroid belt. The round chondrules, silicate minerals embedded in the matrix, can be seen clearly with the MPO-401 microscope. Polarization microscopy makes it possible to analyse the material of the meteorite and its lifecycle, e.g. heat or brecciation.
