Wednesday, May 1, 2019

LOOK AT THIS METEORITE. NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT

Hey Space Placers!

On April 23, 2019 there was a bright bolide (exploding meteor/fireball) over Costa Rica. You may recall that in February 2019 a similar event happened over a village in Cuba and meteorites were recovered.

This Costa Rica meteorite event - known as a fall because space rocks have been recovered - is pretty amazing. Why? Because the type of meteorite that caused it, initially classified as a "CM", is very rare.

NASA scientists TODAY are flying and enroute to meet with Mike Farmer, a meteorite hunter/dealer I have known and bought from for decades, to obtain samples of this newest space rock from him. It is very possible that this fall came from a known dead/inactive comet.

I talked with Mike today about fall this before he was set to leave for Costa Rica for more hunting. He shared with me this incredible photo of a recovered meteorite from this fall and said I could share it:

4/23/19 Costa Rica Fall
Individual Meteorite
Credit: Robert Ward photo via Mike Farmer 
In decades of studying meteorites I have NEVER seen anything like this. The color is real and the specimen was collected before rain occurred so it is as fresh as an Earth specimen can be. What is that BLUE color?

The black color is fusion crust which is about 2mm thick and formed when the outer surface is melted by the friction of entering the Earth's atmosphere and only lasts a few seconds. We know that CM meteorites contain a LOT of chemical compounds and are of great interest in learning about our solar system.

The Murchison Meteorite reminds me of this fall and I think that this space rock will get a great deal of scientific attention.

Be sure to visit Mike's website if you are interested in purchasing genuine meteorites, including this one.

Sky Guy in VA

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