The ancient space traveler landed in her house, of all places!
While it’s not unusual to see meteors shooting through the night sky, particularly around this time of year, to have one land in one’s house—as it did for one New Jersey homeowner in May—is astronomically rare.
Reports of “flight streaks” and loud sounds in Hopewell township were followed up by a local homeowner’s discovering a hunk of space rock in her house.
It was guessed that the meteorite landed at about 12:14 p.m. EST on Monday, May 8. It reportedly penetrated the roof of their ranch-style home along Old Washington Crossing Pennington Road and impacted the hardwood floor before coming to rest.
The homeowner discovered the smoldering hunk of space debris at around 12:35 p.m., and, reportedly, it was still warm to the touch.
No injuries were reported.
One would be forgiven for doubting the homeowner’s claim. Yet The College of New Jersey’s Department of Physics recently confirmed it for what it is—a chondrite meteorite.
Based on visual examination, density measurements, electron microscope scans, and inspection by retired meteorite expert Jerry Delaney of Rutgers University, it was authenticated.
The stony chondrite meteorite is most likely of the LL-6 type, the university stated in a press release, which means it is lower in iron content than most other meteorites.
It also had metamorphosed as a result of the intense heat it experienced while entering the Earth’s atmosphere.
As for the origin of this space traveler, that hasn’t been entirely determined. It’s understood by scientists that most meteors originate from the solar system’s main asteroid belt. The Hopewell township police department also mentioned it could be related to the seasonal Eta Aquariids meteor shower.
As for its age, this interstellar drifter is incredibly ancient. Believed to be 4.56 billion years old, it may date back to the formation of the Earth and the Sun themselves—far older than the rocks on Earth, which, according to scientists, are no older than 4 billion years.
It is also significantly denser than any rock on Earth. With a volume of 317 cubic centimeters and a weight of 984 grams, the meteorite has a bulk density of 3.2 to 3.3 grams per cubic centimeter—the normal density for chondrite meteorites.
The odds of finding any meteorite are miniscule enough. There are only about 1,100 found LL chondrites known to science. Of these, 100 were witnessed falls, of which 50 were LL-6-type meteorites.
But for one such cosmic migrant to come dropping from the sky into someone’s home? The unlikelihood is unfathomable.
Like all found meteorites, this one was given a name which, per tradition, corresponds to the nearest postal address where it was found. In this case, the space rock was named “Titusville, NJ.”
“Getting the chance to examine the meteorite yesterday was a rare and thrilling opportunity for me, as well as for a group of physics students and professors at [The College of New Jersey],” said Nathan Magee, chair of the university’s department of physics.
“We are excited to be able to confirm that the object is a true chondrite meteorite, in excellent condition, and one of a very small number of similar witnessed chondrite falls known to science.”
Although preliminary measurements helped pin down its classification, further study might either add credence to or change that designation.
Advanced isotopic analysis done elsewhere might also establish more precisely the age of the meteorite’s mineral components. It could help us hone in on the space traveler’s trajectory and timeline—how it made its eons-long journey bound for Earth.
In an interesting bit of American trivia, the spot where the meteorite landed was next to Washington Crossing State Park, where General George Washington and the Continental Army crossed the Delaware to claim victory for the new republic on the other shore.
