Every year, our planet gets bombarded by around 1,800 meteorites. While most of these space rocks remain unnoticed, some boast truly bizarre and fascinating stories. From the unfortunate soul who met their end via a meteorite to a cosmic rock carrying a piece of a comet, get ready to explore 10 remarkable shooting stars and their unusual tales.
The Doorstopper
In 1988, David Mazurek purchased a farm in Edmore, Michigan. During the property tour, a peculiar rock caught his eye, serving as a doorstop. The previous owner casually mentioned it was a meteorite that he and his dad had witnessed blazing across the sky and hitting their land in the 1930s. He gifted the rock to Mazurek.
For three decades, the meteorite remained a humble doorstop. Eventually, Mazurek learned about the potential value of meteorite fragments. His 22-pound (10 kg) rock was appraised at Central Michigan University.
Dubbed the Edmore meteorite, it was a nickel-rich space rock and one of the largest to ever hit Michigan. Mazurek sold his doorstop to Michigan State University’s Abrams Planetarium for $75,000.
The Maryborough Meteorite
In 2015, David Hole went metal detecting in Maryborough Regional Park near Melbourne, Australia. He discovered a strange, dimpled red rock. Thinking it contained gold, he tried drills and acid baths to open it but failed. Hole gave up.
Years later, curiosity struck again, and he took it to the Melbourne Museum. The “gold” was a 4.6-billion-year-old meteorite.
A diamond drill revealed it was a chondrite meteorite, characterized by high iron content and chondrules. Weighing 37.5 pounds (17 kg), it became the second-largest chondrite ever found.
The rock predated planets in our solar system, likely joining asteroid belt debris between Mars and Jupiter before colliding with Australia. Hole was incredibly lucky to find this ancient fragment.
The Driveway Meteorite
In 2021, a fireball blazed over the United Kingdom. The Wilcock family in Winchcombe heard a noise outside. The next morning, they discovered small, dark objects resembling barbeque briquettes scattered in their driveway.
The fragments were from the first meteorite to land in the UK in 31 years. This rare carbonaceous chondrite meteorite, about 4.5 billion years old, formed before Earth. Its pristine condition offers researchers a glimpse into the early solar system.
This Meteorite Was Weaponized
Around 1873 or 1874, archaeologists unearthed an iron arrowhead near a Swiss lake. Its significance was not initially understood, and it was stored in a museum collection. Recent studies revealed its unique origin.
The arrowhead, crafted 3,000 years, was made from meteoric iron. It was not from the local Twannberg meteorite. Instead, the iron likely came from a meteorite that crashed in Estonia around 1500 BC.
This discovery indicates that people traded meteoric iron as far back as 800 BC, revealing previously unknown historical connections.
This One Hit a Pillow
One night in 2021, Ruth Hamilton in Canada woke up to her dog barking and an explosion. Debris fell as if a violent burglar had broken in. She called emergency services. She found a fist-sized rock between her pillows and a matching hole in the roof.
Police suspected a construction blast, but the crew denied it. However, they did report hearing a boom and seeing a sky explosion just before Hamilton’s call. A meteorite had landed in her bed, a lucky escape for the homeowner.
The First Meteorite Fatality
Approximately 17 meteorites strike Earth’s surface daily. Amazingly, there’s no credible modern record of fatalities caused by meteorites.
But in 2020, Turkish documents revealed a different story. On August 22, 1888, a fireball preceded a meteorite shower in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. The bombardment lasted 10 minutes, striking two men, killing one and paralyzing the other.
While the rock is missing, official letters confirm the event, written by local authorities to report it to the government.
Lethal Mid-Air Encounter—Almost
In June 2012, skydivers jumped from a plane over Rena, Norway. Anders Helstrup had two cameras on his helmet, capturing a near-deadly event rarely believed.
At 2.29 miles (3,700 m), Helstrup jumped and opened his parachute at roughly 0.68 miles (1,100 m). Something whizzed past him incredibly fast.
Experts identified it as a meteorite in its “dark flight” stage. The 11-pound (5-kg) rock traveled at 186 miles per hour (300 km/h). Had it hit Helstrup, it would’ve cut him in half, making him “insanely lucky”.
Minerals Unknown to Science
Discovered in Somalia in 2020, the El Ali meteorite stood out for its size. Usually, meteorites are ounces or pounds. This space rock weighed 16.5 tons (15 metric tons).
Identified as an Iron IAB complex meteorite, consisting of meteoric iron and silicates, it held an even more significant secret.
A sliver revealed two minerals never seen before: elaliite and elkinstantonite. A monumental discovery.
The Meteorite Comet Hybrid
Comets and asteroids share origins from a young Sun’s dust and gas ring. Their composition differed based on their distance from the Sun during formation.
In 2019, a meteorite found in Antarctica’s LaPaz Icefield was cut open. It was a rare chondrite meteorite containing a fragment of a comet.
About three million years ago, an asteroid captured a carbon-rich comet grain, preserving it. The asteroid broke up, and this fragment entered Earth’s atmosphere as a meteorite.
The One That Came Back
Discovered in Morocco in 2018, a black rock was named “Northwest Africa (NWA) 13188.” This 1.42-pound (646-gram) piece was far from dull.
Scientists found that the meteorite originated from Earth before drifting in space for thousands of years.
NWA 13188 is the only known meteorite to complete this journey. Its composition suggests volcanic formation, but the launch mechanism remains a mystery. A large asteroid impact could have propelled it into space.
From deadly encounters and near misses to space rocks containing comet fragments and minerals unknown to science, meteorites continue to fascinate and surprise us. These cosmic wanderers offer unique insights into our solar system’s past, sometimes in the most unexpected and quirky ways.
Which of these meteorite stories surprised you the most? Leave your comment below!
