ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — A meteorite that punched a hole i n a Georgia homeowner’s roof after blazing across the sky in a fiery streak is older than the Earth itself, according to scientist who examined fragments of the space rock.
People in several Southern states reported seeing the mysterious fireball in broad daylight on June 26 as it hurtled toward the ground faster than the speed of sound.
University of Georgia planetary geologist Scott Harris said in a press release Friday that he examined 23 grams (0.8 ounces) of meteorite fragments recovered from a piece the size of a cherry tomato that struck a man's roof like a bullet and left a dent in the floor of the home outside Atlanta.
Examining the fragments under microscopes, Harris concluded the meteorite formed 4.56 billion years ago. That is roughly 20 million years older than the Earth.
"It belongs to a group of asteroids in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter that we now think we can tie to a breakup of a much larger asteroid about 470 million years ago,” Harris said.
Harris said University of Georgia scientists and colleagues at Arizona State University plan to submit their findings with Nomenclature Committee of the Meteoritical Society. They propose naming the space rock the McDonough Meteorite, reflected the name of the Georgia city where it plunged to Earth.
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