Meteorite lights up Gloucestershire sky and lands in Winchcombe
It's a first for UK science
Last updated 9th Mar 2021
Fragments of a fireball, which recently fell to Earth, have been located in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire and are now in the care of Museum scientists
The meteorite, likely to be known as the Winchcombe meteorite, is an extremely rare type called a carbonaceous chondrite, which have been known to contain organics and amino acids – ingredients for life
The meteorite will be the target of an unprecedented research effort providing answers to questions about the early history of our solar system and life on Earth
Footage of the fireball from the public and the UK Fireball Alliance (UKFAll) camera networks helped locate the meteorite and determine where it came from in the solar system, linking this incredible sample to its origins in space
In a major event for UK science, the meteorite that fell from the fireball that lit up the sky over the UK and Northern Europe on Sunday 28 February, has been found.
Almost 300g of a very rare meteorite, known as a carbonaceous chondrite, survived its fiery passage through the Earth’s atmosphere and landed on a driveway in the small Cotswold town of Winchcombe. Other pieces of this exceptional meteorite have now been recovered in the local area. Specialised cameras across the country as part of UKFAll were able to recreate the flight path, allowing scientists to determine exactly where in the solar system it came from, and predict where it fell. The original space rock was travelling at nearly 14km per second before hitting the Earth’s atmosphere.
The meteorite was retrieved in such a good condition, so quickly after its fall, that it is comparable to the samples returned from space missions, both in quality and quantity.
Dr Ashley King, UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellow in the Department of Earth Sciences at the Museum, was among the first on the scene when the meteorite was discovered on Wednesday and has been advising on the handling and care of the meteorite since. He says, ‘Nearly all meteorites come to us from asteroids, the leftover building blocks of the solar system that can tell us how planets like the Earth formed. The opportunity to be one of the first people to see and study a meteorite that was recovered almost immediately after falling is a dream come true!’
The Winchcombe meteorite
Dr Richard Greenwood, Research Fellow in Planetary Sciences at the Open University was the first scientist to identify and advise on the meteorite. Dr Greenwood says ‘I was in shock when I saw it and immediately knew it was a rare meteorite and a totally unique event. It’s emotional being the first one to confirm to the people standing in front of you that the thud they heard on their driveway overnight is in fact the real thing.’
Once the meteorite was identified as genuine, plans were made for it to be safely moved to the Museum where it will be properly cared for until it begins an official process of classification to establish its validity and scientific significance.
A team of specialist scientists from across the UK have been successfully searching the rest of the predicted fall area for more fragments including colleagues from The University of Glasgow, The University of Manchester, The Open University, The University of Plymouth, and Imperial College London.
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