Space spectacle: Asteroid creates stir in South Africa

Residents around St. Francis Bay in South Africa had an exciting morning last Sunday. Around 8:30 - 9 AM, a bright streak could be seen in the sky, and some even heard a sonic boom and felt vibrations. Initially, it was presumed to be space debris passing through the atmosphere, but scientists corrected these first reports. It turned out to be a rock from outer space!

As explained in a statement by Professor Roger Gibson from Wits University, based on scientific evaluation, this event is consistent with the passage through Earth's atmosphere of a car-sized asteroid at a very high speed. The friction with the atmosphere created a spectacular fireball and caused the asteroid to break apart.

The meteorites from this event have already been found, and researchers encourage searching for more. As Gibson explains, meteorites are rare and have enormous scientific value, providing information about the origins of our Solar System and potential hazards from space.

The area where meteorite fragments may have fallen stretches over a very large space.

We have reports that someone has found several fragments of a meteorite near Kirkwood in the Eastern Cape, over 100 km from Cape St Francis. This may indicate an exceptional fall area – emphasized Gibson.

Researchers are also interested in witness accounts of the event. This situation provides an excellent opportunity for people to get involved in citizen science – recording their observations and contacting scientists can help reconstruct the meteorite's trajectory. Dr. Leo Vonopartis also highlighted the importance of adequately handling potential meteorites: one should not touch them directly with bare hands but take photos, record the GPS location, and then store them in aluminum foil and a secured container before contacting researchers.

Reports and witness stories are crucial for scientists, as they allow them to gather data on meteorites and their impact on Earth, as IFLScience reports.