This 75.67 gram Aba Panu meteorite end cut was discovered shortly after its fall in Nigeria in 2018. The cut surface is polished and packed with chondrules from edge to edge, featuring several different sizes, types, and textures. The opposing side shows the meteorite as it traveled through space and was found on Earth. End cuts are the best of both worlds! There are few specimens that feature such a beautiful snapshot of our early solar system.

Aba Panu is an L3 ordinary chondrite that fell in Nigeria on April 19, 2018. The fall was accompanied by a large fireball that entered the atmosphere at approximately 20.9 km/s (47,000 mph) and fragmented at an altitude of about 30 km, scattering many stones across the region. Aba Panu is particularly prized for its abundant, well-defined chondrules: small, once-molten silicate spheres that formed during the earliest history of our solar system. Its low petrologic grade (estimated near L3.6) means these ancient structures have experienced relatively little thermal alteration, leaving many chondrules remarkably distinct within the gray matrix. 

Meteoritical Bulletin Entry for Aba Panu: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.cfm?code=67799

--Ordinary Chondrite--

Ordinary chondrites make up about 85% of all known falls. They are stony meteorites composed primarily of silicate minerals like olivine and pyroxene, with small amounts of nickel-iron metal and chondrules—tiny, spherical grains that formed in the early solar system. Their composition provides valuable insights into the building blocks of planets and the history of our solar system.