Scientists on Tuesday unveiled a fragment of what they described as a motorcycle-sized meteorite discovered in a town in the Eastern Cape last month.
Residents in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Free State reported seeing a bright blue-white and orange streak of light in the sky on August 25, accompanied by an explosive sound and vibrations, the scientists said.
The rare meteorite fragment — black and shiny on the outside with a light grey, concrete-like interior — weighs less than 90g with a diameter of less than 5cm and was provisionally named the Nqweba Meteorite, after the nearby town where it was discovered [formerly Kirkwood].
"Friction with the atmosphere created a spectacular fireball and caused it to break up in flight," Roger Gibson, a professor at the University of the Witwatersrand's School of Geosciences, told a news conference.
Sitting on her grandparents' porch in Nqweba, nine-year-old Eli-ze du Toit saw a dark rock fall from the sky. She picked it up and gave it to her mother, who later handed it over to scientists.
"I heard this rumbling sound. Then I noticed this rock falling out of the sky. I went to go pick it up and it was still warm," said Du Toit.
SA scientists unveil fragment of motorcycle-sized meteorite
Image: Esa Alexander/Reuters
Scientists on Tuesday unveiled a fragment of what they described as a motorcycle-sized meteorite discovered in a town in the Eastern Cape last month.
Residents in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Free State reported seeing a bright blue-white and orange streak of light in the sky on August 25, accompanied by an explosive sound and vibrations, the scientists said.
The rare meteorite fragment — black and shiny on the outside with a light grey, concrete-like interior — weighs less than 90g with a diameter of less than 5cm and was provisionally named the Nqweba Meteorite, after the nearby town where it was discovered [formerly Kirkwood].
"Friction with the atmosphere created a spectacular fireball and caused it to break up in flight," Roger Gibson, a professor at the University of the Witwatersrand's School of Geosciences, told a news conference.
Sitting on her grandparents' porch in Nqweba, nine-year-old Eli-ze du Toit saw a dark rock fall from the sky. She picked it up and gave it to her mother, who later handed it over to scientists.
"I heard this rumbling sound. Then I noticed this rock falling out of the sky. I went to go pick it up and it was still warm," said Du Toit.
Image: Esa Alexander/Reuters
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