NASA reports that meteorites weighing roughly as much as a red squirrel each have fallen in Maine, and a local museum is offering a substantial monetary reward for their recovery.
The meteor fragments in question landed on Saturday, April 8, when a daytime fireball was observed traveling from New Brunswick, Canada towards Maine, accompanied by multiple deafening explosions.
Local media agencies and the American Meteor Society’s eyewitness reports documented the incident. NASA subsequently verified it, and a NOAA radar detected its presence.
The US space agency estimates that each meteorite weighs approximately 322 grams, or 11 ounces.
Consider the European red squirrel, which is noted for scurrying along the branches of trees. According to the charity The Mammal Society in the United Kingdom, these scarlet, furry rodents can weigh up to 350 grams, so they’re in the same vicinity.
This is by no means certain, however, as it is possible that some fragments are heavier than others.
Ultimately, this is a momentous occasion for Maine, as it is the first meteorite ever recorded in the state’s annals. And the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum is willing to pay $25,000 to whoever discovers one weighing one kilogram.
The museum already possesses the world’s largest Mars and Moon meteorites.
Estimates indicate that the majority of meteorite fragments likely landed in a field between Waite and the Canadian town of Canoose, with the museum stating that the area immediately west of Canoose, straddling the U.S.-Canadian border, is the best place to look.
Describe a meteorite.
Meteors derive from asteroids and other massive celestial bodies. Asteroids smaller than one meter in diameter are referred to as meteoroids.
When meteoroids or very small asteroids collide with the Earth’s atmosphere, they become visible but largely disintegrate, occasionally creating brilliant fireballs. Meteorite refers to any fragments remaining after an impact.
This is what typically happens to the majority of meteors that penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere.
Like asteroids, meteorites are composed of a variety of materials and are classified in a variety of ways.
According to Shawn Laatsch, director of the Versant Power Astronomy Center at the University of Maine, the flare may have been part of a bolide meteor.
Laatsch told the Machias Valley News Observer, “If it is visible during the day, it is typically a large meteor that has struck the atmosphere and lit up.”
Due to the variable composition of meteorites, there is a possibility that these space objects are extremely valuable.
Identifying a meteorite can be challenging, but there are a few telltale indications. Typically, they are extremely weighty.
For example, earlier this year, a meteor that struck Texas was measured to be the size of a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Due to its density, it weighed as much as four newborn elephants.
According to the University of Alberta, you should also be aware if the meteor is magnetic, has cavities and bubbles, and has a thin black coating on its exterior.
However, be warned that there are numerous meteorites out there, some of which may have struck Maine unnoticed, and the museum will only pay for these meteorites. Therefore, if it has vegetation growing on it, it is presumably too ancient to be worth $25,000.