Flagstaff Crater

Let me warn you right now; if you visit Arizona and choose to go to the Flagstaff crater, don’t expect your non-astronomy-loving friends to be impressed. They are going to see a hole in the ground. For certain groups it is a fascinating hole in the ground, but a hole in the ground none the less.

The Flagstaff Crator represents what is left from a meteor crashing to earth, and the meteor itself is the world’s best preserved to this date. The crater itself is comparatively well preserved as well. Usually when space debris crashes into the earth, the atmosphere destroys what remains of the crater. Flagstaff is the closest many of us will be to seeing what the pockmarked surface of the moon looks like.

You can walk around the crater with a guided tour, but you cannot go down into it. For that, the Flagstaff Crater museum offers an observation point with telescopes so you can have a closer look at the far walls and the floor.

The museum itself is informative concerning astronomy and the history of the crater itself, and the fee to enter is $22 for adults. In my opinion one cannot put a price on the value of education, just know what you’re paying for. If you’re interested in meteors and astronomy, you’ll have a field day.

If not … may I suggest the Grand Canyon?

Wear a mask, wash your hands, and stay safe gentle reader.