The Hoba meteorite near Grootfontein, Namibia

© Maciej Tomkow/Nimia

The Hoba meteorite near Grootfontein, Namibia

At more than 66 tonnes, this is the largest known meteorite on Earth. Stories vary about the discovery, but we know that in 1920, a farmer named Jacobus Hermanus Brits found the massive space stone on his property in northern Namibia. Scientists examined a sample he sent them and determined that this mostly iron behemoth crashed to the ground approximately 80,000 years ago. The Hoba meteorite is protected now as a national monument, and the grounds around it get the same protection, so that visitors can see in person this unusual alien visitor.