On Tue, 24 May 2005 04:17:29 -0400, RichA wrote:

I never knew about this.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/re...ssage=13598760

Gene Shoemaker also gets some recognition for his work in identifying the
valley around (Ries Crater) Nordlingen, Germany as a meteorite crater. The
Rieskrater-Museum Nördlingen in the town of Nordlingen -- located on
Eugene-Shoemaker-Platz -- commemorates the finding.

The museum's web site at http://www.rieskrater-museum.de/ doesn't say
anything about Shoemaker (or much else) so I've posted a few images I took
in 2003 at the URL's below. The view from the top of the church tower
shows the town with the crater wall in the distance. The crater is
virtually round and its wall is still apparent in all directions. The
walls of the church seen in one shot are made from a common building
material in Nordlingen and is a hard stone produced by the heat of the
impact. I understand meteorite flecks are sometimes found in the church
walls as well. There are also photos of the Eugene-Shoemaker-Platz sign,
some information about and photos of Shoemaker that's posted in the museum
and one candid shot of the intrepid meteorite crater investigator studying
another common local material for signs of extraterrestrial origin.

Photos (without explanations) are at:
http://www.mssimmons.com/Nordlingen1.jpg
http://www.mssimmons.com/Nordlingen2.jpg
http://www.mssimmons.com/Nordlingen3.jpg
http://www.mssimmons.com/Nordlingen4.jpg
http://www.mssimmons.com/Nordlingen5.jpg


Mike Simmons