Chondrites are the material from which the planets and the Sun itself were formed. On Earth, they have been preserved in their original form – they have not undergone any of the transformations that terrestrial rocks undergo.
Their dark crust is formed by melting during their passage through the atmosphere, which confirms their extraterrestrial origin.
To touch a chondrite is to hold a piece of the universe as it existed at the very dawn of our solar system.