On February 28, civilians in Northern Europe and the United Kingdom witnessed a meteorite hit Earth in a fireball. The event is particularly exciting for some experts who believe that the rock’s specific, very rare materials may lead to answer some questions about the universe.
After the meteorite flew through the air at nearly 9 miles per second over several countries, some of its pieces were found in a driveway in the Cotswolds. Scientists have collected about 300 grams of the rare rock from Winchcombe, a small town in Gloucestershire, and experts have confirmed that the meteorite is made from the material, carbonaceous chondrite. According to CNN, “The substance is one of the most primitive and pristine materials in the solar system and is known to contain organic matter and amino acids – the ingredients for life.”
The Natural History Museum in London confirmed that the particles were collected quickly enough and in good condition to have the same value as if they were returned to Earth from space.
CNN reports: “The space rock, the museum said, was similar to the sample recently returned to Earth from space by Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission, which, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, produced about 5.4 grams of fragments of the asteroid Ryugu. returned. “
Richard Greenwood is a research fellow in planetary sciences at The Open University and was the first scientist to identify the rock. In a statement from the museum, he said: “I was shocked to see it and immediately knew it was a rare meteorite and a totally unique event. It’s emotional to be the first to confirm to the people in front of you that the thump they heard in their driveway at night is in fact real. “
The museum said there are about 65,000 meteorites on Earth that people know about, but humans have only seen 1,206 fall to Earth, and of those, only 51 were composed of the carbonaceous chondrite material.
The meteorite fell to Earth at 9:54 PM. GMT on February 28th and was attended by thousands of people in the UK and Northern Europe. Spectators even recorded footage of the event on cameras and home security equipment. The museum stated that the citizen recordings, as well as video from the UK Fireball Alliance, helped scientists discover where the meteorite particles might be in the city to collect them for research. The recordings also provided scientists with information about where the meteorite in space came from.
The museum said further pieces of the meteorite can be found in the area in the form of black rocks, piles of small stones, or dust. While the meteorite landed in a driveway in Winchcombe, additional fragments have been collected from the surrounding location.
Ashley King, a British research and innovation leader fellow in the museum’s earth sciences department, said: “Nearly all meteorites come to us from asteroids, the leftover building blocks of the solar system that can tell us what planets like Earth are like. formed. The chance to be one of the first to see and study a meteorite recovered almost immediately after the fall is a dream come true! “
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