“It’s still surreal,” said the New Jersey homeowners, who carefully saved the meteorite, allowing scientists to study the rare space rock
Credit: M. Kirschner and M. Hankey, American Meteor Society
NEED TO KNOW
- A meteorite that crashed into a New Jersey home has given scientists new clues about what our solar system was like billions of years ago
- The homeowners carefully saved the meteorite after it landed, allowing scientists to study the rare space rock
- Researchers have found evidence that salty water once flowed through the asteroid the meteorite came from, along with rare building blocks of life that likely came from space
A meteorite that crashed into a home in New Jersey may offer new insights into whether life was possible in our early solar system.
The meteorite hit the roof of a house in Hillsborough in Somerset County on July 16, 2024, according to a recent study published in the journal Science Advances authored by multiple NASA scientists.
According to NASA, one of the residents of the home was an amateur astronomer who quickly realized the fallen object could be of potential scientific value. The man collected the fragments of the meteorite wearing protective gloves and safely stored them until they could be handed over to the appropriate agency.
Credit: M. Kirschner and M. Hankey, American Meteor Society
Scientists were then able to use video footage of the meteorite’s trajectory, as well as laboratory analyses of the sample, to determine where the rock most likely originated from within our solar system.
“When we have both a documented fireball and a quick recovery of its meteorite, we can learn not only what the rock is made of, but where it came from in the asteroid belt,” said Peter Jenniskens, the study’s lead author and meteor astronomer at both NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley and the SETI Institute, per NASA.
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A closer look using powerful microscopes revealed deposits in the sample left behind by ancient salty water, known as brine. Those salty brines, in turn, provide clues about the ancient asteroid from which the meteorite broke away.
The study’s authors additionally said the salty water contains amino acids that are rare on earth and are “likely extraterrestrial in origin,” per the study.
The discovery could help scientists better understand how water shaped rocky objects in the early solar system billions of years ago.
“If you follow the water through the solar system, you’re actually following life,” Mike Zolensky, a meteorite researcher and study co-authorsaid while discussing the results of the paper, per NASA.
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“Following the history of water through the solar system is an essential part of understanding the origin of life,” he added.
While speaking to ABC 6, the homeowners who initially collected the sample — who wished to remain anonymous — said they immediately knew they were witnessing something special.
Credit: M. Kirschner and M. Hankey, American Meteor Society
“We knew almost immediately that what happened to us was incredibly rare and we felt a responsibility to preserve the meteorite for the scientific community,” the homeowners said in a statement to the outlet.
“It’s still surreal to think that this meteorite traveled through space for millions of years before ending its journey in our home. The entire experience has been incredible, and we’re honored to have played a small part in advancing scientific understanding through its study,” they added.
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