A treasure hunt truly out of this world.
A meteorite that appeared as a “fireball” flying over Maine crashed down over the weekend and whoever finds the space rock could earn some major cash.
The Maine Mineral and Gem Museum is offering $25,000 to the lucky person who finds the fallen meteor from space, which was detected by NASA radar just before noon Saturday.
Eyewitnesses said they spotted a fireball overhead that was bright even with the sun out and heard “loud sonic booms” moments later near Calais, Maine, according to the agency.
The meteorite — the first detected in Maine since NASA has been using radar to observe falling space objects — was observed for four minutes and 40 seconds before it made impact near the Canadian border, NASA said.
Following its touchdown, the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum announced the generous reward for the meteorite’s finder, museum curator Myles Felch told McClatchy News.
The specimen must weigh at least 1 kilogram or more and will be examined for authenticity, Felch added.
The museum houses the largest collection of meteorites from the moon in the world, according to its website.
Meteorite hunters may be able to triangulate where the space junk landed based on radar detection and any video clips of the fireball captured by home surveillance cameras or dash cams, Felch told the outlet.
“Depending on the composition of the meteorite it could be more difficult or easier to find,” he added. “A metallic meteorite is easier to identify in the field, while a stony [one] can be more difficult for someone who is not experienced with identifying these extraterrestrial objects.”
Environmental conditions and wind are also factors.
“It looks like the fall site is forested, and in previous falls it has proven difficult to find meteorites in [a] forest,” Marc Fries, a NASA scientist who studies meteorite falls, told McClatchy.
High winds may have also carried small meteorites across the border into Canada, according to NASA.
Some Maine residents were determined to hunt for the extraterrestrial treasure.
“I recall someone saying they heard something hit their roof,” one person wrote in a Washington County, Maine Facebook group. “Get outside and find it!”
In February, a 1,000-pound meteor slammed down in South Texas.
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April 12, 2023 at 09:19AM
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Museum offering $25K to whoever finds meteorite that fell to Earth over Maine - New York Post
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