An enigmatic alien visitor now possesses a permanent residence and identity, courtesy of researchers at the University of Georgia.

The recently designated McDonough Meteorite descended in Atlanta on June 26, captivating attention throughout the Southeast as it blazed across the daytime sky.

Several fragments, which pierced a home’s roof in Henry County, were handed over to a UGA planetary geologist and impact authority to ascertain their origins and classification.

Interestingly, these new pieces are quite ancient.

“This specific meteor that penetrated the atmosphere has a long history before it reached the grounds of McDonough, and to fully comprehend that, we must analyze what the rock is and determine its asteroid group,” stated Scott Harris, a researcher in the geology department at UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

Even though the fragments that fell ultimately shrunk in size, Harris notes that it’s advantageous to consider how the planet might respond to a significantly larger incoming space object.

From extraterrestrial origins to residential interiors

Prior to the meteor disintegrating into fragments suitable for analysis, researchers registered the bolide (another term for fireball or luminous meteor) entering the atmosphere at an astronomical velocity. That’s a colossal rock speeding towards McDonough quicker than the speed of sound.

As a bolide approaches Earth’s surface, it does slow down and decrease in size. Yet, a rapidly moving rock the size of a cherry tomato is nothing to dismiss.

“When they reach Earth, our atmosphere effectively decelerates them,” Harris remarked. “However, we’re discussing something that is double the size of a .50 caliber bullet, traveling at least 1 kilometer per second. That equates to sprinting 10 football fields in just a single second.”

The meteorite retained sufficient force to breach a man’s roof and HVAC duct, leaving a notable dent in his floor and producing a sound and vibration akin to a nearby firearm discharge.

“I suspect that he experienced three simultaneous occurrences — the impact with his roof, a small sonic boom, and the collision with the floor, all at once,” Harris explained. “There was enough energy upon hitting the floor that it turned part of the material into actual dust.”

The homeowner informed Harris that he continues to discover specks of celestial dust scattered in his living room from the incident.

Introducing the McDonough Meteorite

UGA received 23 grams of the total 50 collected from the piece that struck the home. Utilizing optical and electron microscopy for fragment analysis, Harris believes the meteorite to be a Low Metal (L) ordinary Chondrite.

This classification suggests the meteorite likely formed 4.56 billion years ago in an oxygen-rich environment—older than the Earth itself.

“It belongs to a collection of asteroids located in the primary asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter that we now believe can be traced to the disintegration of a considerably larger asteroid around 470 million years ago,” Harris remarked. “During that breakup, some fragments enter Earth-crossing orbits, and given enough time, their orbit around the sun aligns with Earth’s orbit at the same point in time.”

Aside from confirming its lineage, Harris mentioned that UGA is collaborating with colleagues at Arizona State University to present their findings, along with the name McDonough Meteorite (meteorites are named after the ZIP code of their location), to the Nomenclature Committee of the Meteoritical Society. The official account will be published in the Meteoritical Bulletin.

Potential futures of falling rocks

This marks the 27th meteorite ever recorded in Georgia, and the sixth observed descent.

“This was something that used to happen once every few decades, not multiple times within a couple of decades,” explained Harris. “Modern technology, combined with a vigilant public, will aid in our ability to recover meteorites more frequently.”

He plans to publish a scholarly article in the upcoming year detailing the composition, speed, and dynamics of this meteorite. These investigations are crucial for comprehending the potential hazards posed by much larger and more threatening asteroids.

“One day there will be an opportunity, and we can never predict when it will take place, for something significant to strike and cause a disastrous situation. If we can mitigate that risk, we certainly want to,” he stated.

The meteorite will be preserved at UGA for additional investigations. Other fragments that descended in the vicinity on June 26 will be showcased publicly at the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville.

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