Celestial Treasure Unearthed: Georgia Fireball Yields Meteorite Fragments!
This past week, a remarkable celestial event unfolded over Georgia, culminating in the discovery of meteorite fragments by Steven Dixey. This exciting find offers a rare opportunity to hold a piece of ancient material from our early Solar System.
According to Bill Cooke, lead of NASA's Meteoroid Environments Office, the fireball that lit up the skies was traveling at an astonishing speed of approximately 30,000 miles per hour. It dramatically broke apart at an altitude of about 27 miles above West Forest, Georgia.
Cooke's estimates suggest the original meteoroid was roughly 3 feet wide and weighed over a ton. Calculations from the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) indicate the object entered Earth's atmosphere with an impact energy equivalent to nearly half a kiloton of TNT – a truly powerful event!
The Value of a Meteorite
Finding a meteorite is an incredibly exclusive achievement, and possessing one is like holding a piece of cosmic history. The value of meteorites can vary significantly, ranging from $1.5 per gram to as much as $1000 per gram, depending on their rarity and condition. While $17 million might seem like an astronomical sum for a meteorite, it would require an exceptionally rare and large specimen to reach such a valuation.
This discovery highlights the ongoing wonders of space exploration, reminding us of the dynamic nature of our solar system and the potential for incredible finds right here on Earth.
