Picture of the day

Stellerite is a rare mineral discovered by and named after Georg Wilhelm Steller, a German explorer and zoologist. The mineral has the general formula Ca[Al₂Si₇O₁₈]·7H₂O. Like most rare minerals, there are few commercial uses for stellerite other than as part of mineral collections, although it has been studied along with other zeolites using a dehydration process, to gauge the potential use of their phases as molecular sieves, sorbents, and catalysts. This stellerite crystal measuring 5.5 cm × 4 cm × 2.5 cm (2.17 in × 1.57 in × 0.98 in) was found in Imilchil, Morocco.Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus