A meteorite hunter has managed to find fragments of the huge meteor that blasted over Michigan not long ago.
After a meteor exploded over Michigan, meteorite hunters from around the nation headed to Detroit to see if they could find a piece of it. And two lucky hunters managed to stumble across a fragment, as Larry Atkins and Robert Ward of Arizona showed off their find to the media recently.
The meteor, estimated to be about six feet wide, broke apart about 20 miles above the Earth, creating a spectacular fireball that was captured on some dashcam videos. The fragments landed in the Hamburg Township area, where Atkins and Ward managed to find them.
Ward called it a “spectacular specimen” as he held one of the fragments, according to an ABC News reports. He marveled at the fact that it was once deep in space, and now it was there in his hand.
Ward did not just rely onluck to find the meteorite fragment. He also used witness information as well as doppler radar to narrow the area. He also needed to get permission from land owners to search their property.
Ward has collected around 600 meteorites in his time as a meteorite hunter.
In addition to Ward’s find, astronomers at the Longway Planetarium also came across three fragments that they will display.
Daniel J. Brown
Daniel J. Brown (Editor-in-Chief) is a recently retired data analyst who gets a kick out of reading and writing the news. He enjoys good music, great food, and sports, with a slant towards Southern college football, basketball and professional baseball.