Western University researchers are on the hunt for pieces of a meteor that lit up the sky north of Grand Bend earlier this week.
Meteorites from the bright fireball that was spotted in the southwestern Ontario sky around 7:23pm on Wednesday are believed to have landed somewhere between Saint Joseph and Crediton.
“This fireball was particularly significant because it ended very low in the atmosphere just to the north of Grand Bend, a good indicator that material survived. In fact, it was still producing light at 24 km altitude,” said Peter Brown, researcher and leading meteor expert at Western. “In fact, the only deeper penetrating fireball we have ever detected was the Grimsby meteorite-producing fireball of September 25, 2009.”
A dozen of Western’s Physics and Astronomy Department cameras captured the fireball streaking across the sky at 13 km per second, which is considered slow for a meteor. It also entered earth's atmosphere at a steep angle. Both of those factors make it highly likely fragments of the meteor made it to the ground, according to Brown.
“This event is very important because we have good quality video data of its passage through the atmosphere and hence know where the rock comes from in our solar system,” said Brown. “Meteorites are also of great interest to scientists like me as studying them helps us to better understand the formation and evolution of the Solar System."
Western researchers believe the meteor's initial mass was several kilograms, leaving approximately tens to hundreds of grams of material on the ground. They are now looking to speak with area residents who caught a glimpse of the meteor soaring through the sky or who have found a possible meteorite.
Meteorites are dark coloured and often have a scalloped exterior. They are also denser than a normal rock and will often be attracted to magnets due to their metal content. While meteorites aren't dangerous, they are fragile. Researchers suggest anyone who finds one put it in a clean plastic bag or wrap it in aluminium foil for protection and handle it as little as possible.
Anyone thinking of joining the search for the space-rocks is advised to get permission from landowners, as meteorites belong to the owner of the land upon which they are found in Canada.
Anyone who saw the meteor or has found a suspicious rock is asked to contact Michael Mazur from the Western Meteor Physics Group at mmazur5@uwo.ca or 250-551-6426.
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