MeteoriteImage16k: A Macroscopic Visual Dataset of Authenticated Meteorites

Meteorites provide direct samples of planetary materials, and their photographs may enable rapid screening of large numbers of candidate specimens before detailed examination. The majority of authenticated meteorite photographs were obtained from the collections of the Shanghai Astronomy Museum and from collaborating private collectors whose specimens had been authenticated by the Shanghai Astronomy Museum.

To broaden the taxonomic and visual diversity, additional photographs were collected from authoritative public resources, including the Meteoritical Bulletin Database hosted by the Lunar and Planetary Institute, the Antarctic Meteorite Collection maintained by NASA Johnson Space Center, and Meteorite Exchange, Inc. This dataset provides a reliable foundation for meteorite screening based on macroscopic appearance using computer vision.