For over 80 years, a remarkable meteorite lay hidden in plain sight, overshadowed by its unassuming role as a doorstop on a local farm in Michigan.

Weighing in at 10 kilogrammes (22 pounds), this celestial treasure remained unnoticed until a curious turn of events brought it to the attention of the scientific world.

In 2018, Mona Sirbescu, a geologist at Central Michigan University (CMU), encountered the meteorite and instantly recognised its significance. "It's the most valuable specimen I have ever held in my life, monetarily and scientifically," she told Science Alert.

This extraordinary meteorite, later nicknamed the Edmore meteorite, turned out to be a captivating iron-nickel space rock containing a substantial 12 per cent nickel.

David Mazurek, a resident of Grand Rapids, Michigan, had the meteorite for three decades before seeking Sirbescu's expertise.

When Mazurek purchased a farm in Edmore in 1988, the previous owner casually mentioned that the rock propping open a shed door was no ordinary stone – it was a meteorite.

The previous owner recounted a story from the 1930s when he and his father witnessed the meteorite hurtling down and impacting their property with a resounding crash. The crater left behind led to the remarkable discovery, which they promptly claimed as part of their land.

<h2>A doorstop's transformation</h2>

Mazurek took possession of the meteorite, employing it as a doorstop for his shed. This curious artefact even found its way to school for show and tell by Mazurek's children.

Years later, as meteorite enthusiasts started reaping rewards from similar finds, Mazurek decided to have his treasure appraised.

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<h2>From doorstop to valued specimen</h2>

The evaluation revealed the meteorite's true worth, both in scientific and monetary terms. Meteorites, due to their rarity and significance in the realm of science, often command substantial prices.

Recognising the meteorite's potential, Mazurek sold it to Michigan State University's Abrams Planetarium for $75,000.

Also watch |&nbsp;Why is the Yamuna water level rising dangerously without rain in Delhi?

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In a gesture of appreciation for Sirbescu's role in identifying the meteorite, 10 per cent of the proceeds were pledged to CMU's earth and atmospheric sciences department.

&nbsp;

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For over 80 years, a remarkable meteorite lay hidden in plain sight, overshadowed by its unassuming role as a doorstop on a local farm in Michigan. Weighing in at 10 kilogrammes (22 pounds), this celestial treasure remained unnoticed until a curious turn of events brought it to the attention of the scientific world.

For over 80 years, a remarkable meteorite lay hidden in plain sight, overshadowed by its unassuming role as a doorstop on a local farm in Michigan. Weighing in at 10 kilogrammes (22 pounds), this celestial treasure remained unnoticed until a curious turn of events brought it to the attention of the scientific world. In 2018, Mona Sirbescu, a geologist at Central Michigan University (CMU), encountered the meteorite and instantly recognised its significance. "It's the most valuable specimen I have ever held in my life, monetarily and scientifically," she told Science Alert. This extraordinary meteorite, later nicknamed the Edmore meteorite, turned out to be a captivating iron-nickel space rock containing a substantial 12 per cent nickel. David Mazurek, a resident of Grand Rapids, Michigan, had the meteorite for three decades before seeking Sirbescu's expertise. When Mazurek purchased a farm in Edmore in 1988, the previous owner casually mentioned that the rock propping open a shed door was no ordinary stone – it was a meteorite. The previous owner recounted a story from the 1930s when he and his father witnessed the meteorite hurtling down and impacting their property with a resounding crash. The crater left behind led to the remarkable discovery, which they promptly claimed as part of their land. A doorstop's transformation Mazurek took possession of the meteorite, employing it as a doorstop for his shed. This curious artefact even found its way to school for show and tell by Mazurek's children. Years later, as meteorite enthusiasts started reaping rewards from similar finds, Mazurek decided to have his treasure appraised. Also read | Chandrayaan-3 just a week away from lunar soft landing From doorstop to valued specimen The evaluation revealed the meteorite's true worth, both in scientific and monetary terms. Meteorites, due to their rarity and significance in the realm of science, often command substantial prices. Recognising the meteorite's potential, Mazurek sold it to Michigan State University's Abrams Planetarium for $75,000. Also watch | Why is the Yamuna water level rising dangerously without rain in Delhi? In a gesture of appreciation for Sirbescu's role in identifying the meteorite, 10 per cent of the proceeds were pledged to CMU's earth and atmospheric sciences department. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

This decades-long doorstep turns out to be valuable meteorite worth $75,000. Here's how

Scientists have launched an undersea expedition to trace and collect the pieces of the first known&nbsp;interstellar object&nbsp;that hit Earth in 2014, reports Science Alert. The said object had crashed into the ocean just off the coast of Papua New Guinea.

Examples of Interstellar objects are asteroids,&nbsp;comets, or rogue planets that are not gravitationally bound to a star.

The data at the time revealed that the object was a meteorite. Dubbed CNEOS 2014-01-08, the object is believed to have measured about a half-meter wide, and its potentially interstellar origins were first recognised by then graduate student Amir Siraj and Harvard professor Avi Loeb.

The data they collected at the time indicated that it could be an interstellar object—the first known to hit Earth and the third ever recorded. &nbsp;The other two interstellar objects recorded are Oumuamua and Borisov.

Siraj and Loeb had concluded that CNEOS 2014-01-08 might be from beyond our Solar System due to its unusually high heliocentric velocity, meaning it was moving at speeds that suggest it may not be bound within the Sun's gravity.

However, the problem in 2014 was that the data used to measure the object's impact which would confirm whether it is an interstellar object came from a US Department of Defense spy satellite. As a result, the details of the object were carefully guarded.

Therefore, a paper by Siraj and Loeb has remained unpublished and not peer-reviewed.

But this year in March, US Space Force's Space Operations Command's chief scientist Joel Mozer reviewed the classified data and confirmed that the “velocity estimate reported to NASA&nbsp;is sufficiently accurate to indicate an interstellar trajectory”.

US Space Force lieutenant general&nbsp;John Shaw signed the letter confirming the interstellar object.

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5/ From the <a href="https://twitter.com/AsteroidWatch?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AsteroidWatch</a> tabletop exercise earlier this year, we learned that as long as the simulated asteroid was in the space domain, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USSPACECOM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USSPACECOM</a> was the supported combatant command within the <a href="https://twitter.com/DeptofDefense?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeptofDefense</a>.
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However, tracing the remnants of the meteorite is likely to throw up some challenges as it might burned up during its descent into Earth's atmosphere, likely leaving only fragments behind, scattered across the ocean floor.

Hence, the expedition team would be likely carrying a large magnet connected to a trawling ship to pick up the pieces.

In an interview for Universe Today last year, Loeb said that the expedition would give the scientific community the chance “to actually put our hands on the relic and figure out whether it’s natural, whether it’s a rock, or whether, you know, a small fraction of those [interstellar objects] might be artificial.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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Scientists have launched an undersea expedition to trace and collect the pieces of the first known interstellar object that hit Earth in 2014, reports Science Alert.

Scientists have launched an undersea expedition to trace and collect the pieces of the first known interstellar object that hit Earth in 2014, reports Science Alert. The said object had crashed into the ocean just off the coast of Papua New Guinea. Examples of Interstellar objects are asteroids, comets, or rogue planets that are not gravitationally bound to a star. The data at the time revealed that the object was a meteorite. Dubbed CNEOS 2014-01-08, the object is believed to have measured about a half-meter wide, and its potentially interstellar origins were first recognised by then graduate student Amir Siraj and Harvard professor Avi Loeb. The data they collected at the time indicated that it could be an interstellar object—the first known to hit Earth and the third ever recorded. The other two interstellar objects recorded are Oumuamua and Borisov. Siraj and Loeb had concluded that CNEOS 2014-01-08 might be from beyond our Solar System due to its unusually high heliocentric velocity, meaning it was moving at speeds that suggest it may not be bound within the Sun's gravity. However, the problem in 2014 was that the data used to measure the object's impact which would confirm whether it is an interstellar object came from a US Department of Defense spy satellite. As a result, the details of the object were carefully guarded. Therefore, a paper by Siraj and Loeb has remained unpublished and not peer-reviewed. But this year in March, US Space Force's Space Operations Command's chief scientist Joel Mozer reviewed the classified data and confirmed that the “velocity estimate reported to NASA is sufficiently accurate to indicate an interstellar trajectory”. US Space Force lieutenant general John Shaw signed the letter confirming the interstellar object. 5/ From the @AsteroidWatch tabletop exercise earlier this year, we learned that as long as the simulated asteroid was in the space domain, #USSPACECOM was the supported combatant command within the @DeptofDefense. — U.S. Space Command (@US_SpaceCom) April 6, 2022 × However, tracing the remnants of the meteorite is likely to throw up some challenges as it might burned up during its descent into Earth's atmosphere, likely leaving only fragments behind, scattered across the ocean floor. Hence, the expedition team would be likely carrying a large magnet connected to a trawling ship to pick up the pieces. In an interview for Universe Today last year, Loeb said that the expedition would give the scientific community the chance “to actually put our hands on the relic and figure out whether it’s natural, whether it’s a rock, or whether, you know, a small fraction of those [interstellar objects] might be artificial.” (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Scientists to search ocean for interstellar object that hit Earth in 2014

A meteorite that struck a village near Rajasthan just 20 kms from the capital Jaipur in June 2017 could reveal many mysteries about the origin of life and provide clues about&nbsp;the evolution of the solar system, the Geological Survey of India stated.

The meteorite had struck Mukubdpura near Rajasthan in the early morning of June 6, 2017, creating a 6 feet deep crater in an agricultural land.

Reports say that some think it is because of the &#39;meteorite impact&#39;while others suggest that it could be shaped out because of &lsquo;tectonic&rsquo; or &lsquo;structural&rsquo; activity or &lsquo;magmatism&rsquo;.

When the meteorite hit last year, the Geological Survey of India&#39;s state experts and Forensic Science Team found hard black stone pieces of what looked like a black coal of about 4 kgs from the crater that measured three feet.&nbsp;

Reports say that it looked like a reddish-yellow fireball coming from the sky and created a massive thud on the ground. Scientists at GSI stated that the carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, unlike other meteorites, contain very primitive traces of carbon. And carbon forms the backbone of all life on earth.

They stated that there could be a likelihood that this meteorite could contain substances from space which could have been formed during the early stages of the evolution of the solar system and help discover the origins of life.&nbsp;

Scientists also said that another meteorite had struck Tinsukia in Assam just prior to the Mukundpura meteorite on June 5. It had hit the floodplains of the River Lohit. 
&nbsp;

The meteorite had struck Mukubdpura near Rajasthan in the early morning of June 6, 2017 creating a 6 feet deep crater in an agricultural land

A meteorite that struck a village near Rajasthan just 20 kms from the capital Jaipur in June 2017 could reveal many mysteries about the origin of life and provide clues about the evolution of the solar system, the Geological Survey of India stated. The meteorite had struck Mukubdpura near Rajasthan in the early morning of June 6, 2017, creating a 6 feet deep crater in an agricultural land. Reports say that some think it is because of the 'meteorite impact'while others suggest that it could be shaped out because of ‘tectonic’ or ‘structural’ activity or ‘magmatism’. When the meteorite hit last year, the Geological Survey of India's state experts and Forensic Science Team found hard black stone pieces of what looked like a black coal of about 4 kgs from the crater that measured three feet. Reports say that it looked like a reddish-yellow fireball coming from the sky and created a massive thud on the ground. Scientists at GSI stated that the carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, unlike other meteorites, contain very primitive traces of carbon. And carbon forms the backbone of all life on earth. They stated that there could be a likelihood that this meteorite could contain substances from space which could have been formed during the early stages of the evolution of the solar system and help discover the origins of life. Scientists also said that another meteorite had struck Tinsukia in Assam just prior to the Mukundpura meteorite on June 5. It had hit the floodplains of the River Lohit.

Jaipur meteorite-hit could help discover evolution of solar system: Geological Survey

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