Quick facts
What it is: NWA 12774, a 16-ounce (454 grams) angrite meteorite
Where it was found: The Sahara Desert, Northwest Africa
When it was shared: June 1, 2026
When imaged with cross-polarized light the angrite meteorite NWA 12774 shimmers like a rainbow kaleidoscope. A new study suggests that the space rock, first discovered in 2019, could be a fragment from a long-lost protoplanet from the early solar system.
(Image credit: CU Boulder/John Kashuba)
Jamie Carter is a Cardiff, U.K.-based freelance science journalist and a regular contributor to Live Science. He is the author of A Stargazing Program For Beginners and co-author of The Eclipse Effect, and leads international stargazing and eclipse-chasing tours. His work appears regularly in Space.com, Forbes, New Scientist, BBC Sky at Night, Sky & Telescope, and other major science and astronomy publications. He is also the editor of WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com.
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