Thread: 'Meteorite' lands on cricket pitch during county match

'Meteorite' lands on cricket pitch during county match

When two spectators standing on the boundary at a cricket match saw an object hurtling down from the sky, their first instinct might have been to applaud.

By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent
Published: 5:57PM BST 25 Jul 2010


Meteorite: The rock, a few inches long and believed to be up to 4.5 billion years old, broke in two when it landed Photo: PHOTOLIBRARY

However Jan Marszel, 51, and Richard Haynes, 52, were not witnessing a six, but an extremely rare meteor strike.
The rock, a few inches long and believed to be up to 4.5 billion years old, broke in two when it hit the ground in front of them close to the pitch.
The pair – both Sussex members – were sitting square of the wicket watching the England player Luke Wright bat with Monty Panesar when they spotted the black, five-inch rock hurtling towards them.
Mr Marszel, an IT consultant, said: “We were sitting at the boundary edge when all of a sudden, out of a blue sky, we saw this small dark object hurtling towards us.
“It landed five yards inside the boundary and split into two pieces.
“One piece bounced up and hit me in the chest and the other ended up against the boundary board.
“It came across at quite a speed – if it had hit me full on it could have been very interesting."
The pair have kept the seemingly extraterrestrial pieces of rock for posterity and said they would be happy for experts to examine them.
Retired Mr Haynes, said: “We were quietly supping our pints, both looked up at the same time and saw a black object coming towards us – we didn’t know what it was.
“If it had come from the other direction we might have suspected someone had thrown it, but we saw it come in straight over the ground from quite a way out – it was definitely a meteorite.”
Dr Matthew Genge, a meteorite expert at Imperial College, London, said: “If this turns out to be a meteorite it’s very exciting and would be the first fall in the UK since 1992.
"Potentially it contains secrets as to the formation of our solar system."

'Meteorite' lands on cricket pitch during county match - Telegraph

Originally Posted by Bangyai

"Potentially it contains secrets as to the formation of our solar system."

Owzat??

Originally Posted by Mr Lick

Originally Posted by Bangyai

"Potentially it contains secrets as to the formation of our solar system."

Owzat??

No, Mr. Lick, it was a dropped catch....

Originally Posted by Bangyai

When two spectators standing on the boundary at a cricket match saw an object hurtling down from the sky

Due to the size of it and the speed it was travelling I'm sceptical they watched it fall to earth. What were 2 spectators looking up in the same direction for ? Knowing cricket, they probably had more chance of staying awake by looking at the clouds.

^ Watch out Mr. Floppy, it's probably Kryptonite.

Seems very unlikely that it's a meteorite. A more likely explanation is that it's a frozen piece of shit dropped from an aircraft toilet. Take it home and wait for it to melt.

On a side note it's good to see that the england cricket team is getting spectators into double figures,,,two.

A nicely written little article.

Originally Posted by Bangyai

“If this turns out to be a meteorite it’s very exciting and would be the first fall in the UK since 1992.

So it looks like meteorites don't hit the UK unless someone sees them.

Originally Posted by Bangyai

However Jan Marszel, 51, and Richard Haynes, 52, were not witnessing a six,

Well they wouldn't if it landed 5 yards inside the boundary.Yeah a nicely written article Mr Betty Boo.

Originally Posted by Bangyai

“It landed five yards inside the boundary

Surely a meteorite would have been extremely hot due to burning up on entry?

Originally Posted by Moonraker

Surely a meteorite would have been extremely hot due to burning up on entry?

Not necessarily. Once into the earths atmosphere it will go to terminal velocity. The bigger the meteorite the faster it will hit. All I can say is that the 2 guys that witnessed it's fall must have eyes better than a Jap sniper.

Originally Posted by superman

Originally Posted by Moonraker

Surely a meteorite would have been extremely hot due to burning up on entry?

Not necessarily. Once into the earths atmosphere it will go to terminal velocity. The bigger the meteorite the faster it will hit. All I can say is that the 2 guys that witnessed it's fall must have eyes better than a Jap sniper.

Funny you should say that. I read a very interesting book about one of Japans best fighter aces of WW II , Saburo Sakai who's eyesight was so good he could navigate by stars in the daytime !! ( until wounded and lost sight in one eye )

Saburo Sakai

Originally Posted by Moonraker

Surely a meteorite would have been extremely hot due to burning up on entry?

Curious About Astronomy: Are meteorites hot or cold when they hit Earth?

Many astronomers believe that small rocks hitting the ground should not be hot. In a Science[at]NASA article about the recent fireball over Pennsylvania, written by Tony Phillips, the planetary scientist Don Yeomans is quoted as saying,"Rocky asteroids are poor conductors of heat. Their central regions remain cool even as the hot outer layers are ablated away... Small rocky meteorites found immediately after landing will not be hot to the touch."
In their meteorite FAQ, the American Meteor Society says "The ablation process, which occurs over the majority of the meteorite's path, is a very efficient heat removal method, and was effectively copied for use during the early manned space flights for re-entry into the atmosphere. During the final free-fall portion of their flight, meteorites undergo very little frictional heating, and probably reach the ground at only slightly above ambient temperature." However, they point out that there really aren't many reports, and those we have are often "prone to hearsay".

It's hard to believe that there's only been this one since 1992.

Originally Posted by PaulBunyon

It's hard to believe that there's only been this one since 1992.

On finding one, how the heck do they know when it landed. Can people be everywhere all of the time ?

Normally they are quite heavy as the composition is Nickel for the most.

Other materials desintegrate by entering atmosphere

Goodness some excitement at an English cricket match

Originally Posted by Bangyai

We were quietly supping our pints, both looked up at the same time and saw a black object coming towards us – we didn’t know what it was.

Yeah well the veil hasn't been banned in the UK...