On a Sunday morning in St. Francis Bay, a town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, a streak of bright light was seen in the sky between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. local time. The sighting was followed by a sonic boom and a slight tremor.
Scientists from Wits University and Nelson Mandela University have been monitoring the event closely. The captain of a whale-watching boat reported objects falling into the ocean off Cape St. Francis.
At first, it was thought to be a piece of space junk from a satellite that entered Earth’s atmosphere at a relatively low trajectory, breaking apart as it burnt up. However, experts have determined that it was actually a space rock.
“Based on scientific assessment, the incident is consistent with a rocky asteroid about the size of a car entering Earth’s atmosphere at very high speed. Friction with the atmosphere created a spectacular fireball and caused it to break up in flight,” said Roger Gibson, a professor at the Wits School of Geosciences.
“We have reports that someone has found several fragments of a meteorite near Kirkwood in the Eastern Cape, over 100 km [62.1 miles] from Cape St. Francis. This may indicate an exceptional fall area,” he added.
Wits University is one of the only internationally accredited institutions in South Africa for meteorites. Gibson and his colleagues track meteorite finds and falls all over the country. The last time such an event happened was over 50 years ago in Lichtenburg in 1973.
According to Gibson, meteorites are rare, and they provide valuable information about the structure and beginnings of our solar system. That’s why it’s crucial for scientists to study possible meteorites. They also pose a potential threat because of how they interact with Earth’s atmosphere.
In South Africa, only 51 meteorites and 22 meteorite falls have been documented. So, Gibson and his colleagues are eager to obtain samples and learn as much as they can from the recent meteorite fall.
The scientists are urging people to contact them if they have seen, heard, or found something they suspect could be related to the meteorite event.
Tryfonov – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
“Some people heard its sonic boom as far away as Plettenberg Bay—over 200 km from Gqberha; others felt ground tremors caused by the sonic boom or actually saw the meteor. We would be extremely interested to hear from any witnesses of this event,” Gibson said.
Meteorites can look just like regular rocks on the outside and the inside, but they also have a smooth, glassy black appearance.
This is called the fusion crust, which is formed when the meteorite enters the atmosphere. Many will attract a magnet.
People should be careful not to destroy or damage any pieces of meteorite. They are items of national heritage, just like fossils.
The sale and trade of meteorites are regulated by law via the South African Heritage Resources Act.
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