Am I right in thinking that this Vinales is slightly oriented?

[u/AncientJeweler2595]

Couldn't miss out on this one and bought it today. (Photos from seller)

[u/Robgalactica]

What does orientated mean?

[u/meteoritegallery → u/Robgalactica]

"Oriented" means that a meteorite didn't tumble when coming through the atmosphere, resulting in "sustained directional flight."

Here is a typical meteorite that ablated, but probably tumbled while coming through the atmosphere. Not oriented.

This iron experienced sustained directional flight and is oriented.

It's a gradient. Uasara's probably a 10/10. A stone like the 81 gram Park Forest visible here (not the top stone pictured) is probably a 1/10. A few flow lines on the front, a little froth on the back, otherwise no great evidence of orientation. I'd probably call that stone "flight marked," not oriented. A stone like this I'd probably say is something like a 6/10. Definitely directional flight, good nose cone, flow lines and melt accumulation, but directional flight didn't last long enough to really shape it much. "Oriented," but not the best example. The 13 gram Gao on the bottom of this page is probably also a 10/10 in my book.