From Rob Wesel, meteorite-lover and -purveyor.

For some time I have wanted to get a tattoo to depict my appreciation for meteorites.

On September 28, 1969 meteorites fell in Murchison, Australia.

On September 28, 2004 our daughter Christina (a.k.a. Pinky) was born.

As if wasn’t already a top-fiver for it’s amino acids, Murchison quickly moved up the ranks of my favorite meteorites and I had decided it would somehow be involved in the meteorite tattoo.

With a little help from friends Steve Arnold (IMB) and Jason Phillips I obtained a small capsule of Murchison crumbs to pulverize and one day add to the ink.

I ultimately decided on a carbon buckeyball, found in Murchison, unrolled and laid out flat. With Murchison fully represented in design and medium, I had the tattoo artist make one carbon atom bright pink in honor of Pinky. Although it’s only the size of the head of a pin, it means the world to her…and me.

More of Rob’s description here.

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Originally published April 13, 2009. Copyright 2009 Carl Zimmer.