Bright ‘fireball’ flew over Maine and crashed, NASA says. Whoever finds it gets $25,000
A meteorite just slammed into Maine.
The person who finds it can exchange it for a handsome — yet not quite out of this world — reward.
The space rock was seen soaring over the Pine Tree State on Saturday, April 8, according to NASA’s Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Lab.
“Eyewitnesses report a fireball that was bright even in midday, followed by loud sonic booms near Calais, Maine,” according to the agency.
The falling meteorite was observed for just under five minutes before it landed near the U.S.-Canada border.
The crash is the first meteorite fall to be detected by radar in the state, the agency said.
The weather radar that identified the falling space rock, known as NEXRAD, has been in operation since 1996, Marc Fries, a NASA scientist who studies meteorite falls, told McClatchy News.
“Since NEXRAD went online I’ve found a total of about three dozen meteorite falls, so we have not seen one for all 50 states yet,” Fries said.
Following the crash, the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum, which houses the largest display of meteorites from Mars and the moon on Earth, announced it is offering $25,000 to the individual who finds the meteorite, Myles Felch, a museum curator, told McClatchy News.
Any specimen brought to the museum has to weigh 1 kilogram or more, Felch said, adding that the rock’s texture and chemistry would be analyzed to confirm its authenticity.
As to how difficult it would be to find the meteorite, “it really depends,” Felch said.
“There are many variables at play,” he said. “If it was a witnessed fall, they can kind of triangulate where it may have landed based on radar and clips captured on dash cams or from someone’s backyard.”
“And depending on the composition of the meteorite it could be more difficult or easier to find,” Felch said. “A metallic meteorite is easier to identify in the field, while a stony (one) can be more difficult for someone who is not experienced with identifying these extraterrestrial objects.”
Surface conditions also factor into the likelihood of finding meteorites, Fries said.
“It looks like the fall site is forested, and in previous falls it has proven difficult to find meteorites in (a) forest,” Fries said.
Some Maine residents expressed interest in searching for the fallen rock in a Facebook group called “What’s Happening Washington County, Maine.”
One group member wrote, “I recall someone saying they heard something hit their roof. Get outside and find it!”
Several other members discussed using metal detectors to attempt to track down the valuable celestial mass.
Not everyone was enthused, though. One Mainer expressed caution, writing, “I saw The Blob. I’m not picking that up.”
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