http://yorkshirepost.co.uk/scripts/editorial2.cgi?cid=news&aid=481620
Close encounter of burnt kind
IT came from outer space ­ or did it? Teenager Siobhan Cowton is convinced
the object which struck her as she climbed into the family car at her home
in Northallerton is extra-terrestrial.
But while her claims are being treated with a certain amount of studied
academic scepticism by experts in these matters, the 14-year-old schoolgirl
is adamant she was hit on the foot by a meteorite.
Siobhan initially thought there was a more prosaic explanation ­ that the
odd-looking stone had been thrown at her by a child,.
But on closer inspection, she discovered all was not as it seemed ­ because
it was hot when she picked it up. It hit her on a foot but caused no injury.
"I looked at it again and it had a black and grey colour with a shiny bubble
surface," she said.
After closer inspection by her father Niel, and comparison with pictures on
the Internet, Siobhan plans to ask scientists at Durham University to check
the object for authenticity.
If it is from outer space, Siobhan says she will consider putting it up for
auction.
She added: "If it isn't worth anything then I suppose I will keep it myself
for sentimental value. It is not every day that you are hit by a meteorite."
But Dr Ben Horton, a lecturer in physical geography, was the acme of
academic caution.
"Meteors have features that can be used to establish whether it is a piece
of extraterrestrial rock," he said.
"They have a very smooth surface but sometimes they have shallow depressions
and cavities. If they are hot, they should have a black ash like crust burnt
around the edge.
"Most are between five and 60 centimetres but five centimetres is the
smallest that they usually appear."
To establish the provenance of Siobhan's suspected meteorite it would have
to be subject to a mineral breakdown but Dr Horton thinks the chances of it
being extra-terrestrial are slim.
"Around 50,000 a year strike the Earth's surface and, considering the size
of the Earth, it is very unlikely to be a meteorite.
"However, there is a possibility and there is no reason it couldn't happen,"
he added.
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