The 33-pound rock, something of a family heirloom, was found in a cow pasture near Tazewell, Tenn., in the 1930s by Donna Lewis' grandfather, the late Tilmon Brooks.

The object of curiosity, which long served as a doorstop and a garden ornament and had even been painted green, turns out to be a very rare and very real meteorite, possibly 4.5 billion years old.

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The university has since purchased the meteorite, the remains of a meteor that fell to Earth, from the family. The former doorstop will now be on display. It already made its debut at a science fair on the campus over the weekend.

"We don't want to lock it up somewhere," Cook said in a statement. "We want kids to be able to touch it, lift it, and understand what it is. Part of our job is to get kids interested in science, and this ... will stir their curiosity."

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Cook told Yahoo News in an email that the find is extraordinary. "It is extremely rare from my point of view. I have been in Physics and Astronomy Departments for over 40 years and this is the first one I have ever seen come in the door."

Family discovers doorstop is 4 billion-year-old meteorite