Similar to lot 105 but larger. Muonionalusta meteorites are found near the source of the Muonio River above the Arctic Circle in northern Sweden. While numerous recoveries have been made by meteorite hunters in recent years, it was in 1906 that the first Muonionalusta meteorite was discovered by children. While kicking rocks, one of the children struck a heavy object that was brought to the village where they lived — which was later verified to be a meteorite. Muonionalusta meteorites are typically prosaically shaped as a result of their 1,000,000 year residency in Earth’s northern ice box. Churned by advancing and retreating glaciers, Muonionalusta meteorites were smoothed by what was, in effect, ⛦Earth’s largest rock tumbler. As most are not at all aesthetic, this makes them perfect for cutting and fashioning slices, spheres and cubes. Covering the entire surface of this perfect cube is the striking three-dimensional display of Muonionalusta’s crystalline structure. An extended cooling curve of millions of years is required for the two major iron-nickel alloys of iron meteorites — kamacite and taenite — to crystallize, and the resplendent pattern seen here is diagnostic in the identification of iron meteorites (see description of lot 91 for more information). With its compelling geometry of an octahedral intergrowth rendered as a cube, this is an intriguing presentation of the core of an asteroid, and one that at 4.56 billion years of age is older than Earth.