Two suspected meteorites fall on UP village
What's the story
Two hot embers fell from the sky at a Kasoli village in Muzaffarnagar district in UP last night which villagers claimed to be meteorites. The stones fell down with a loud sound after rains at the village in Charthawal police station area last night, sub-divisional magistrate Kumar Dharmendra said. The embers fell down in a compound of a villager Sukhpal.
Meteorite
What is a meteorite?
A meteor is the flash of light that we see in the night sky when a small chunk of interplanetary debris burns-up as it passes through our atmosphere. The debris is called a meteoroid If any part of a meteoroid lands on Earth, it is called a meteorite. Generally the meteorites are very small, from the size of a pebble to 100kg or more.
Past incidents
Not the first time a meteorite fell in Kasoli
This is not the first case in the district. In November 2003, scientists had confirmed the finding of a big black meteorite in Kasoli village. The meteorite was 29cm in diameter and 11cm thick. It had created a 15-inch deep crater when it landed in the village. In 2009 also, two meteorites were found inKarimpur village in the district.
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Current suspected meteorites taken into custody for investigation
In the current case, "the "stones" have been taken into safe custody for investigation and only experts will tell whether they are meteorites," Dharmendra said.