Meteorite that hit home is older than Earth, scientists say

A meteorite that crashed into a house in Georgia, USA, has amazed scientists because it is older than Earth itself. On June 26, a large fireball was seen streaking across the sky in broad daylight before exploding over the state of Georgia, according to NASA. The meteorite smashed through the roof of a home in the city of McDonough, and researchers from the University of Georgia quickly began studying a fragment of the rock. Their analysis revealed that the meteorite is about 4. 56 billion years old, which makes it roughly 20 million years older than our planet. Residents in Georgia and nearby states reported seeing the fireball and hearing a loud booming noise as it tore through the sky. Even though the rock shrank and slowed down as it fell, it was still traveling at least 1 kilometer per second when it crashed through the roof in Henry County. Scientists collected several fragments from the house and began investigating their origins. Scott Harris, a geologist at the University of Georgia, explained that this meteorite has a long history before it landed in McDonough. Using optical and electron microscopes, Harris and his team discovered that the rock is a chondrite, which is the most common type of stony meteorite. This means the meteorite formed about 4. 56 billion years ago, making it incredibly ancient. The homeowner said he is still finding tiny pieces of space dust around his house from the impact. The meteorite has been named the McDonough meteorite and is the 27th meteorite to be recovered from Georgia. Harris noted that finding meteorites used to be rare, happening only once every few decades, but now it is becoming more common. He believes that modern technology and an alert public are helping scientists recover more meteorites than ever before. Harris hopes to publish his findings about the meteorite's composition and speed, which could help scientists understand the threat of future asteroids. He warned that someday, a large asteroid could hit Earth and cause a catastrophic event, so it is important to be prepared. The meteorite itself is a large lump of rock that glows silver and red, and it now sits on a glass table as scientists continue to study it.

Meteorites are pieces of rock from space that sometimes fall to Earth. They can be billions of years old and provide valuable information about the history of our solar system. When a meteorite crashes into a house, it can be a shocking event for the people living there, but it also gives scientists a rare chance to study something from outer space.

By using advanced technology and working with the public, scientists are able to find and study more meteorites than ever before. The story of the McDonough meteorite shows how important it is to understand space rocks and prepare for the possibility of a large asteroid hitting Earth in the future. Scientists hope that by learning more about meteorites, they can help protect our planet from dangerous space objects.