Brandon Sun - PRINT EDITION
An astronomer from the Manitoba Museum has discounted the claim of a woman who said she found a meteorite on her property near Riding Mountain National Park.
Nicole Nixon said she experienced a bright light and loud noise early Tuesday morning, then found two rocks she believed to be meteorites the following day.
Scott Young, astronomer at the Manitoba Museum and Planetarium, said Nixon “contacted us at the museum several times before, including last week before Tuesday’s alleged sighting … Interestingly, she sent us pictures of different rocks with the same story, which look nothing like the rock pictures that were ran in the article and aren’t meteorites either.”
On Friday, Nixon said the rocks she called Young about the previous week were from Portugal and that Young is angry with her because she wouldn’t give him some of her other meteorites.
“We’ve had a lot of problems with Scott Young. We had a huge meteor fall in 2009 here and Scott Young wanted some of the meteorites from that fall for free,” Nixon said.
Young said it is difficult to tell from pictures alone, but the rocks in the pictures Nixon provided don’t have the features normally found on meteorites.
Meteorites are usually dark, not porous (there aren’t any air bubbles in them because there is no air in space), they don’t have any crystals in them (quarts is very common on earth but not found in meteorites), they are often magnetic and very heavy for their size.
Nixon’s description of the way the so-called meteorite fell onto her property also doesn’t add up, Young said.
“If you see a flash in the sky, the rock isn’t falling where you are, because this happens when the meteor’s still 50 kilometres up and still moving at a couple hundred kilometres an hour.” Young said.
“Once it slows down and stops burning it falls on a ballistic trajectory and it usually lands dozens or a hundred kilometres from where people saw it.”
Such a large event is usually seen and heard for more than 100 kilometres, but Nixon has so far been the only person to have reported it.
Nixon said there are around 10 other witnesses, but refused to provide their names or contact information to the Sun for verification.
When meteorites as large as the rock Nixon found (around 55 pounds) hit the earth, their sonic boom and impact register on the seismographs which are monitored in Manitoba.
Young said his office is contacted when this occurs, but they were not contacted about any recent activity.
Even though the Perseids meteor shower occurred recently, Young said that there has never been a meteor associated with a meteor shower.
A meteor shower occurs when the earth passes through the trail of dust left behind by a comet, which is composed of tiny bits of sand and ice.
The earth is hit about once a day by meteors, but they usually come down in the ocean or in remote areas.
Anyone who wishes to see examples of meteorites can visit those on display at the Manitoba Museum.
» rbooker@brandonsun.com
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition August 18, 2012
We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high. If you thought it was well written, do the same. If it doesn’t meet your standards, mark it accordingly.
You can also register and/or login to the site and join the conversation by leaving a comment.
Rate it yourself by rolling over the stars and clicking when you reach your desired rating. We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high.
The Brandon Sun does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. Comments are moderated before publication. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
An astronomer from the Manitoba Museum has discounted the claim of a woman who said she found a meteorite on her property near Riding Mountain National Park.
Nicole Nixon said she experienced a bright light and loud noise early Tuesday morning, then found two rocks she believed to be meteorites the following day.
Already subscribed? Login to view full article.
Not yet a subscriber? Click Here to Signup
An astronomer from the Manitoba Museum has discounted the claim of a woman who said she found a meteorite on her property near Riding Mountain National Park.
Nicole Nixon said she experienced a bright light and loud noise early Tuesday morning, then found two rocks she believed to be meteorites the following day.
A subscription to the Brandon Sun Newspaper is required to view this article. Please update your user information if you are already a newspaper subscriber.
Most Popular
Sort by: Newest to Oldest | Oldest to Newest | Most Popular 0 Comments
You can comment on most stories on brandonsun.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.