(ORDO NEWS) — A meteorite exploded in the sky over southern Georgia on the night of September 26, 2022.
Debris scattered around the small town of Junction City. The Tellus Science Museum has already acquired one of the meteorite fragments.
At 00:04 local time, a bright fireball lit up the skies over Talbot County. Dr. Albin and two of his colleagues were able to calculate the location of the meteorite impact using video of the meteor’s flight and radar data.
Arriving at the crash site, scientists discovered a small impact crater. After an intensive search, they managed to find several fragments of a meteorite. The 219-gram specimen they found was purchased by the Tellus Science Museum.
“It’s very exciting because finding a meteorite shortly after it hit is a very rare occurrence, and it hit here in Georgia,” said museum executive director Jose Santamaria. “To think, this rock was in space just over three weeks ago.”
The meteorite was tentatively identified as a chondrite. Further classification is currently underway.
“I’m thrilled that the Tellus Science Museum can preserve Georgia’s meteorite heritage by acquiring this specimen,” says Tellus curator Ryan Roney.
So far, about a dozen meteorite fragments have been found.
“I’m sure there’s still a lot to be found,” Albin said. “It has been estimated that a meteorite that flew through our atmosphere was perhaps the size of a washing machine or a small refrigerator.”
This is the 6th meteorite impact in the state, and the 11th meteorite in the collection of the Tellus Science Museum.
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