South African scientists unveil fragment of motorcycle-sized meteorite

[September 04, 2024]  By shafiek tassiem and Esa Alexander
 
GQEBERHA, South Africa (Reuters) - South African scientists on Tuesday unveiled a fragment of what they described as a motorcycle-sized meteorite that was discovered in a town in the country's Eastern Cape province last month.

A researcher holds a fragment of meteorite during a press conference where researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand, Nelson Mandela University and Rhodes University explain the entry of a meteorite into Earth's atmosphere over South Africa last week, in Gqeberha, South Africa, September 3, 2024. REUTERS/Esa Alexander

Residents in the provinces of the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Free State reported seeing a bright blue-white and orange streak of light in the sky on Aug. 25, which was accompanied by an explosive sound and vibrations, the scientists said.

The rare meteorite fragment - black and shiny on the outside with a light grey, concrete-like interior - weighs less than 90 grams (3.2 ounces) with a diameter of less than 5 cm (2 inches) and was provisionally named the Nqweba Meteorite, after the nearby town where it was discovered.

"Friction with the atmosphere created a spectacular fireball and caused it to break up in flight," Roger Gibson, a professor at the University of the Witwatersrand's (Wits) School of Geosciences, told a news conference.

Sitting on her grandparents' porch in Nqweba, 9-year-old Eli-ze du Toit saw a dark rock fall from the sky. She picked it up and gave it to her mother, who later handed it over to scientists.

"I just heard this rumbling sound. And then I just noticed this rock falling out of the sky and then I went to go pick it up and it was still warm," said du Toit.

(Reporting by Shafiek Tassiem and Esa Alexander; Additional reporting and writing by Sfundo Parakozov; Editing by Bhargav Acharya and Jonathan Oatis)

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