METEORITES FALLS 101

Meteorites are rocks that come from space and land on Earth. They are formed from asteroids, comets, or other space debris that fly around our solar system. When a meteorite falls through the Earth's atmosphere, it heats up and produces a bright streak of light in the sky, which we call a shooting star. If the meteorite is big enough and doesn't completely burn up, it can land on the Earth's surface.

Meteorites come in all shapes and sizes, and they can contain different types of minerals and other materials. Some are very small and only weigh a few grams, while others are huge and weigh thousands of kilograms. Scientists study meteorites to learn more about the history of our solar system, including how the planets formed and what materials were present when the solar system was first created. They can also tell us more about the composition of other celestial bodies in our solar system and beyond. Meteorites are really cool because they are pieces of space that we can actually touch and study up close!

METEORITE COLLECTING

Meteorite collecting is the activity of searching for and collecting rocks that have fallen from space and landed on the Earth's surface. Meteorite hunters use a variety of methods to find these space rocks, including searching in areas where meteorites are known to have fallen in the past, using metal detectors to locate iron-rich meteorites, and analyzing satellite images to identify potential meteorite impact sites.

Once a meteorite has been located, it must be carefully collected and preserved. This involves using specialized tools and techniques to extract the meteorite from the surrounding soil or rocks without damaging it. The meteorite is then cleaned and cataloged, and samples may be taken for scientific analysis.

Meteorite collecting can be a challenging and exciting hobby, as it involves searching for rare and valuable objects that have traveled through space and survived the intense heat and pressure of atmospheric entry. It can also be a way to contribute to scientific research, as many meteorites have important information about the formation and evolution of our solar system.

However, it's important to note that meteorite collecting can also have legal and ethical considerations. Some countries have laws that regulate the collection and sale of meteorites, and some private landowners may not allow people to collect on their property. Additionally, it's important to respect the cultural significance of meteorites to certain indigenous communities, who may view them as sacred objects. As with any hobby or activity, it's important to do your research and follow the appropriate guidelines and best practices. 

HOW TO FIND METEORITES

This is a step-by-step guide on how to locate meteorite falls using weather radar. The best approach is to have several people using this technique, and then to share their findings to reach a consensus on whether or not they have a searchable event. 

STEP ONE

Keep an eye out for reports of large, bright events that may indicate a meteorite fall through these resources:

The American Meteor Society : https://www.amsmeteors.com

The Latest Worldwide Meteor/Meteorite News : http://lunarmeteoritehunters.blogspot.com

International Meteor Organization : http://lunarmeteoritehunters.blogspot.com

STEP TWO

Narrow down the search area:

Radar imagery can contain a lot of features, to include weather, birds, bats, aircraft, and "radar noise". The following kinds of data can help narrow down the search area, increasing the likelihood of identifying a meteorite fall if it is visible on radar.

Eyewitnesses

Beyond eyewitness report collections like those in the AMS and IMO websites, interviewing eyewitnesses firsthand can yield useful information. Single EW reports are often contain a measure of error, but accruing many of them may produce a small search area.

Seismic Data

http://www.iris.edu/hq/

Seismometers are excellent for locating meteorite falls. Fireballs that penetrate deeply enough into the atmosphere to generate sonic booms (and are therefore good candidates to generate meteorite falls) can produce signals in seismometer data if seismometers are nearby.

The consortium group, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) maintains an online database of seismometer data from around the world. Calculating a fireball end point from seismometry data is not straightforward, and we suggest teaming up with an expert on the subject. This technique is superb, however, producing fireball terminus locations, altitudes, and timing.

Satellite Imagery

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/satellite.php

Most civilian imaging satellites are weather satellites, and they only collect images every fifteen minutes or longer. Detecting a fireball would require that the fireball occur just as the satellite’s camera is taking its image, which is unlikely. In the future it may be possible to obtain real-time imagery but for now this technique is of limited utility.

The GOES Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM)

https://www.goes-r.gov/spacesegment/glm.html

This new sensor is found on the NOAA Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite and is very useful for detecting bright fireballs, because this instrument searches for lightning by collecting data on bright flashes on a continuous basis. Because meteors are short-lived, bright flashes like lightning, they show up in the GLM data products. This new sensor is currently in development and constant data feeds are not yet widely available.

Infrasound

Infrasound refers to very low frequency noise, which can travel long distances and is useful for narrowing down the location of an event like a meteorite fall. No public sources of infrasound data are currently available.

STEP THREE

Retrieve and analyze weather radar data to search for signatures of a meteorite fall:

Finding meteorite falls in weather radar imagery requires practice and patience. Fortunately the software and data are freely available. Weather and Climate Toolkit.

NCDC Weather and Climate Toolkit

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/wct/

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/wct/tutorials/

Click on the link above to download the Weather and Climate Toolkit radar visualization software provided by the NOAA. Take advantage of the tutorials! Your goal is to learn how to download radar data and search it for meteorite falls.

Features Signifying a Meteorite Fall

Meteorite falls are often (but not always) linear features, with the long axis often aligned in the direction of ambient winds. Meteorite falls appear in radar imagery after the fireball has gone out, and after meteorites have sufficient time to fall from the fireball terminus (roughly 20 km high) down to where the radar can detect them (approximately 10 km and lower altitudes). This normally takes about 2 minutes to occur.

Falling meteorites then appear at or near the site identified by eyewitnesses or the other sources named above. Meteorites are size-sorted in their fall from the fireball terminus, with large meteorites falling fastest and smaller ones requiring a longer time to reach the ground. In most meteorite falls, the first meteorites show up on radar 90 seconds to 2 minutes after the fireball terminus, and the last (and smallest) meteorites disappear from radar about 10 minutes after the event.There are several types of radar data products, but the two most useful for finding meteorites are "Reflectivity" and "Velocity".  

HOW TO HANDLE METEORITES

First and foremost, meteorites are not harmful to humans or to any terrestrial life. Meteorite handling procedures are designed to protect the meteorite from terrestrial contamination and alteration, not to protect people from meteorites. The goal of proper meteorite handling is to minimize harm to the meteorites to preserve their scientific and aesthetic qualities.

 WHAT TO DO

Collect and handle meteorites using clean gloves, tongs, or new aluminum foil. Common, household aluminum foil is a reasonable and inexpensive means to handle meteorites. Simply tear a fresh piece of foil off of the roll and pick up the meteorite with it. You can keep the foil wrapped around the meteorite indefinitely.

Keep the meteorite clean and dry. You can place it in a zip-lock bag to offer it a measure of protection against atmospheric humidity. Moisture absorption packages are beneficial as well. If you use one of these, place it in the bag but keep it out of direct contact with the meteorite. Keep the meteorite wrapped in aluminum foil, place a dessicant package in the bag with it, and keep it sealed.

 WHAT NOT TO DO

Try not to handle any freshly fallen meteorites with your bare hands! Oils and microbes from your skin will slowly degrade the surface of a meteorite, dulling the fusion crust, contaminating the meteorite, and promoting rust. The contamination aspect is especially important for carbonaceous meteorites and other uncommon types. 

Interesting Facts:

Age: The oldest particles found in meteorites, called calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions, are estimated to be 4.56 billion years old, nearly as old as our solar system!

Origin: Most meteorites come from shattered asteroids, but some originate from the Moon or Mars. There's even a possibility of material from Mercury or Venus reaching Earth, although none have been definitively identified yet.

Composition: Meteorites come in three main types:

• • Stony meteorites (most common): Composed mainly of silicate minerals like rock.

  • Iron meteorites: Largely made of iron and nickel.

  • Stony-iron meteorites: A blend of rock and metal.

Scientific Importance: Meteorites offer valuable clues about the formation of our solar system and the early conditions that existed. They can also contain organic compounds, raising questions about the origins of life on Earth.

Most Valuable Meteorites Ever Sold

The value based on current market of the materials prices (2024) and the high potential scientific value due to its likely composition. This is an hypothetical scenario even cos observations only mention the dominance of iron and nickel, the exact composition and the presence of other elements remain uncertain.

The upcoming Psyche mission aims to gather more detailed data and improve our understanding of this unique asteroid. 

it's important to remember the practical and economic limitations of asteroid mining.

Conspiracy theorie :  The multibillionaires, through extravagance even in the form of thoughts or the simple fact of the singularity not only of the asteroid, and also of the event itself, are already becoming even richer with the minerals contained in it and no one knows.

A few of the more notable meteorites recovered include Tissint and Northwest Africa 7034. Tissint was the first witnessed Martian meteorite fall in more than fifty years; NWA 7034 is the oldest meteorite known to come from Mars, and is a unique water-bearing regolith breccia.