When a peculiar metallic rock came crashing through a New Jersey home, little did the residents know they had become hosts to a 4.6 billion-year-old cosmic guest – a rare stony chondrite meteorite.
InShort:
Scientists have confirmed that a mysterious metallic rock that crashed into a New Jersey house is a rare stony chondrite meteorite, around 4.6 billion years old. The meteorite, largely unchanged since the formation of our solar system, offers a unique window into the early universe.
A Surprise from the Sky
A seemingly ordinary day took an extraordinary turn when a metallic-looking rock pierced through the roof of a house in Hopewell Township, New Jersey. It wasn’t just any rock; scientists would later confirm it as a rare stony chondrite meteorite.
The Unearthing of the Cosmic Time Capsule
The strange visitor, still warm and bearing two punctures in the ceiling, was discovered by the house resident, Suzy Kop. After the house was cleared of any radioactive threats, the rock was handed over to the local college for further inspection.
The Journey to Identification
At The College of New Jersey, the team, including a retired meteorite expert, worked diligently to decipher the origin of this space rock. They confirmed that the meteorite, likely to be named “Titusville, NJ,” is about 4.56 billion years old, making it a remnant of the birth of our solar system.
The Cosmic Messenger’s Composition
The meteorite, sporting a blackened crust from its fiery journey through Earth’s atmosphere, is of the LL-6 chondrite class. This class is denser and contains less iron than its counterparts, setting it apart from typical Earth rocks.
Source: https://www.space.com/
Research Scopes
This discovery opens new avenues in meteorite research and the study of our solar system’s origins. Further analysis of this meteorite could uncover more about the early solar system, its formation, and the composition of primitive celestial bodies.