ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Canyon Diablo (meteorite)

Okay kiddo, do you know what a meteor is? It's a space rock that falls from the sky and lands on Earth. Well, Canyon Diablo is a very special meteorite that fell in a place called Arizona a long, long time ago, before people even existed!

You see, Canyon Diablo is not just any old space rock, it's actually what's left of a giant asteroid that crashed into Earth! This asteroid was so huge that it created a big hole in the ground, like a giant basin. And the pieces of the asteroid that broke apart when it hit the Earth are what we now know as Canyon Diablo.

Scientists know a lot about Canyon Diablo because they have studied it really carefully. They know that it's made up of a special type of rock called iron meteorite, which is very rare. This kind of meteorite is heavy and shiny, and it can actually attract a magnet because it's made of iron.

Canyon Diablo is very important to scientists because it tells them a lot about what the Earth was like a long time ago. It's like a time capsule that has been preserved for many thousands of years. And because it fell to Earth so long ago, it's also very valuable to collectors who want to add a piece of space history to their collections.

So there you have it, kiddo. Canyon Diablo is a really special meteorite that fell to Earth a long time ago and tells us a lot about our planet's history.