From Ian Smith, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, UK
I, too, am sceptical of the existence of a giant iron meteorite in the Sahara desert, but the two letters published on this question miss the point that Gaston Ripert didn’t just see the object from a distance. He climbed over it and indeed brought back a sample that is clearly a rare type of meteorite. This makes the whole episode far more intriguing than “man fooled by mirage” or “man fooled by painted rock”, unless he was spinning a yarn, which his personality suggests is unlikely (Letters, 24 January). The mystery remains…
