Talk:Hoba meteorite

It's good to decide on logic
Beefart says: I don't know what is meant by the largest single largest mass of iron in the world. The Sydney harbour bridge is a mass of iron and it weighs a lot more than 60 tonnes. If one is going to play fast and loose with the definition of iron then it is worth noting that the Hoba meterotite qualifies as an iron alloy and therefore as a steel body.


 * Well Beefart, I've corrected the mistake. I meant to put "natural iron", but instead just put iron. Natural iron means like an ore or something that naturally occurs. Unnatural iron is like the Sydney harbour bridge. Heavier, but you just don't find it like that in the wilderness, you have to manufacture it... So that's the reason. Thanks, Spawn Man 22:56, 30 January 2006 (UTC)

I think you'll find that The Sydney Harbour Bridge is not a single mass of iron (or steel for that matter). Rather, it was constructed in sections and then assembled, as opposed to being cast as one unified body of matter. Please also note that the pylons which stand at each end of the structure are composed of concrete and granite, not commonly known to be constituent parts of iron or any associated alloys. And that is not to speak of the concrete and other unspecified materials of which the incumbent roadways, railtracks, and cycle/pedestrian routes are constructed from. Furthermore, I would like to draw attention to the fact that 'on Earth' does, from a certain perspective imply that which is 'in Earth'. To clarify: qualification for the title 'largest tunnel-drilling machine on Earth' would surely not require that the machinery need be on the Earth's surface. Rather, it would be expected that said machinery would be under the surface. As a consquence of this linguistic ambiguity, the author is erroneously stating that the Hoba Meteorite is of greater mass than the Earth's core, which including its liquid outer structure has a total radius of approximately 3480 kilometers. As such I feel that the sentence should be changed to 'on the Earth's Surface'. At least until such time as someone can establish the meteorite's exact altitude, whereupon the article should state that the meteorite is 'the largest known single natural mass of non-terrestrial iron-alloy at n feet above sea-level'. Beerathon 13:31, 31 January 2006 (UTC)

Postage Stamp
With regard to the image of the Namibian postage stamp featuring the Hoba meteorite, the 'Licensing' section on the image has the Wikipedia Stamp fair use: "This image is of a postage stamp. The copyright for it may be owned by the issuing authority, and there may be other restrictions on its reproduction. It is believed that the use of postage stamps to illustrate the stamp in question (as opposed to things appearing in the stamp's design) on the English-language Wikipedia, hosted on servers in the United States by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation, qualifies as fair use under United States copyright law. Other use of this image, on Wikipedia or elsewhere, may be copyright infringement." But this is clearly not being used to illustrate the stamp itself, but the 'thing appearing in the stamp's design'. Is this a copywrite violation? GBM 13:49, 31 January 2006 (UTC)
 * I was thinking exactly the same thing. I've removed it for now, pending further clarification. --OpenToppedBus - Talk to the driver 16:17, 31 January 2006 (UTC)


 * Was the only pic I could find at the time, thanks for finding a new one. That pic was only a temp one... Spawn Man 07:38, 2 February 2006 (UTC)

Shades of Politikal Korrectniz?
Why are educational and donated in quotes? Did someone actually say those words (and is being quoted); or was it not really donated or educational?


 * I've unquoted "donated", but left educational quoted, as many believe the trade was for money compensation.... Spawn Man 07:38, 2 February 2006 (UTC)

That needs to change. Placing it in quotes is weasel wording, and if some believe money exchanged hands, that can be a part of the article, but quoting the word does not hint at such an interpretation, and hinting at any alternative interpretation is a no-no. So convinced, am I, that I'll just undo the quotes myself. --166.147.72.21 (talk) 16:28, 16 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Wasn't logged in. That ^ was me -- cregil   (talk)  16:29, 16 October 2013 (UTC)

Inappropriate link removal
I do not agree with users Mannheim_34 and Ohnoitsjamie with their removal of any link to webpages hosted on a commercial website (almost any .com domain). I expressed my opinion here and here. I ask to the community: are these in your opinion links to "web pages that primarily exist to sell products or services, or to web pages with objectionable amounts of advertising"? I don't want to start an edit war so if you agree with my point of view please restore any suitable reference removed from this article. Thanks. -- Basilicofresco  (msg) 21:49, 18 March 2009 (UTC)
 * Meteorite.fr: Meteorite Charts

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Terminal Velocity
I'm curious how the terminal velocity of this object was calculated. A drag coefficient is mentioned. However, an object of this shape typically spins rapidly when falling through the air. This spin additionally slows the descent. This is easily seen, for example, with strips of paper. I recall once I dropped a rock from a high bridge in the Alps. This particular rock was a similar shape to this object, but of course, much smaller. About half way down to the bottom (I don't remember the distance, but probably a couple hundred feet at least), the rock spun rapidly, and the trajectory switched form straight down to an almost horizontal direction. I suspect the same thing happened with this rock. Victor Engel (talk) 18:31, 6 June 2021 (UTC)