Lunar meteorite now on display at NC Museum of Natural Sciences

Thanks to Dr. Rachel Smith, who leads the Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Lab and curates the museum's meteorites, the downtown Raleigh museum has purchased a lunar meteorite, which is called NWA 11474, according to a press release. The meteorite was discovered in Africa in 2017. It's been part of the museum's collection for about a year.

According to the museum, these meteorites provide scientists with the opportunity to study parts of the moon that we haven't yet visited.

The new exhibit sits right outside the museum's Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Lab. It also includes a video that takes visitors to the Apollo 17 landing site and follows trails to where astronauts collected lunar samples.