Meteorites that fall are older than Earth.

The meteorite was discovered in Georgia. Photo: CBS News .

On June 26th, a mysterious fireball lit up the sky in broad daylight, drawing hundreds of observation reports in Georgia and South Carolina. NASA noted that the meteor exploded in the Georgia sky, creating loud noises that residents in the area could hear.

According to planetary geologist Scott Harris of the University of Georgia, who studied fragments of this cosmic rock, the meteorite is believed to be older than Earth itself. He stated in a press release that he examined 23 grams of meteorite fragments.

The sample was collected from a piece the size of a cherry tomato that pierced the roof of a man's house in suburban Atlanta, leaving a dent in the floor. "Before entering the atmosphere, this meteorite had a very long journey before hitting the ground in McDonough," he said.

When a space rock enters the atmosphere and spontaneously burns up, it's called a meteor. A space rock that not only survives its long journey but is also exceptionally bright is called a fireball, according to NASA.

Observing the fragments under a microscope, Harris concluded that the meteorite formed 4.56 billion years ago, about 20 million years older than Earth. “It belongs to a group of asteroids in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. This group likely originated from a collision or disintegration event of a giant asteroid that occurred about 470 million years ago,” he explained.

The American Meteorite Association said they had received more than 160 reports of the fireball from witnesses by 12:25 p.m. on June 26. The meteor was first seen at an altitude of approximately 77 kilometers above the town of Oxford, moving southwest at 30,000 miles per hour.

The fireball then exploded at an altitude of approximately 43 kilometers above West Forest, releasing energy equivalent to about 20 tons of TNT. Bill Cooke, head of NASA's Meteorite Environment Office, said the fireball was nearly 1 meter in diameter and weighed more than 1 ton.

Scientists from the University of Georgia and Harris's colleagues at Arizona State University plan to submit their research findings to the Meteorite Society's Naming Committee. They propose naming the cosmic rock the McDonough meteorite, after the city where it fell to Earth.

According to the university, this is the 27th meteorite found in Georgia and the sixth witnessed impact. The homeowner says tiny particles of cosmic dust are still found in the living room since the collision.

A meteorite falling in broad daylight in front of many people is not a common occurrence. However, modern technology and increased public observation have led to the detection of more and more meteorites. "This is something we previously expected to happen only once every few decades, not multiple times in 20 years," Harris said.

Source: https://znews.vn/thien-thach-roi-co-tuoi-tho-cao-hon-trai-dat-post1575713.html