This is a little bit complicated. A couple of months ago, a big, bright meteor was reported in Norway. There was some confusion over whether an actual meteorite was recovered, that is, the rock that hit the ground after the air show. It doesn’t look like it ever was.
Then, a couple of weeks later, another bright meteor was seen (remember, the "meteor" is the streak of light from a "meteoroid" passing through our atmosphere, and if it hits the ground it becomes a "meteorite"). This one may have left a calling card: a meteorite was found that had punched through the roof of a warehouse. There is a picture at that link, and while it’s impossible to know for sure if the rock is authentic or not just by looking at it, it does indeed look like it could be the real thing. It’s rare to get a meteorite from a witnessed fall, so this is a pretty cool thing to have happen.
Tip o’ the Whipple Shield to Ian Musgrave at Astroblog.
August 22nd, 2006 at 12:03 pm
It almost looks like its been cut. However, the edges are rounded and the faces aren’t completely flat.
Why’s that?
August 22nd, 2006 at 12:27 pm
That is really cool. I’d keep it =P
August 22nd, 2006 at 1:50 pm
Geez! A third meteor over Norway?
August 23rd, 2006 at 1:57 am
Actually the several fragments of the second meteorite were supposedly recovered in various location around the Oslo Fjord. If you check the top two related stories in the link.
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1390361.ece and
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1391556.ece
With this third one up north its getting a bit spooky…I think I need a bigger umbrella!
Stuart, Oslo
August 23rd, 2006 at 7:54 am
A few years ago, my little sister was driving early in the morning and saw a huge flash and a streak of light go across the road ahead of her. She swerved to miss it, since it was close and she saw a chunk of pavement fly up and break! She stopped in her car and went to look at what had hit the road. She found a large rock that didnt’ match the others by the side of the road, about the size of a cantaloupe, and very heavy. She brought it home, and we still have it. We think it’s a meteorite. Are we correct in this? It’s hard to tell. It’s a brownish rust color and very rough. Like nothing I’ve found in the area. Let me know what you think! Thanks.
August 23rd, 2006 at 8:14 am
I thought that a scar on a hillside was claimed to be the impact site of the main mass of this meteor, was that idea discarded?
August 23rd, 2006 at 8:35 am
Kym,
It’s possible you may have a meteorite. You could take it to a university geologist and ask politely for it to be authenticated. There also are places which deal in meteorites, and which are more than happy to determine the meteoritic nature of peoples’ samples. Here’s one: http://www.meteorlab.com/METEORLAB2001dev/identification.htm
August 23rd, 2006 at 8:36 am
“ERK! The Norwegian sky is falling. ”
Dang, those guys have all the luck! So much fun, examining new fallen meteorites.
GAry 7
August 23rd, 2006 at 9:57 am
Thank you, Mark! I’ll look into getting it identified then.