Meteorite from out of this Wold
Asteroid fireball crashes to Earth
SCIENTISTS fear a gold rush after a meteorite crashed to Earth at 30,000mph, showering the ground with space rock.
The fireball produced a sonic boom that could be heard across southern England and seen from as far away as the Netherlands.
Its spectacular six-second burn up triggered doorbell and security cameras from London to Liverpool and Manchester to Milton Keynes.
Dr Luke Dale, of the University of Glasgow and UK Fireball Alliance, said the asteroid strike at 9.54pm on Sunday had nearly 800 sightings, making it the International Meteor Organisation’s most reported incident.
He said: “This meteor fragmented a lot as you can see in the videos.
“Most of the meteoroid vaporised during the six seconds of visible flight.
“However, we think quite a few fragments probably reached the ground.”
The event was was captured on Alex Laycock and girlfriend Gemma Hague’s doorbell camera in Barnsley.
Scientists said the meteorite vaporised over Gloucestershire – sending lots of fragments across Stow-on-the-wold. They urged collectors not to breach Covid rules hunting the chunks which geologists said could be worth up to 40 times the price of gold.
Chunks of meteorite are for sale on internet auction site ebay for prices ranging from £3.75 to £16,200.
Dr Katherine Joy, of Manchester University, warned: “If you do find a meteorite on the ground ideally photograph it in place.
“Note the location using your phone GPS, don’t touch it with a magnet, and, if you can, avoid touching it with your hands.
“Pick it up in a clean bag or clean aluminium foil if possible.”