A museum is ready to pay big bucks for any piece of the meteorite seen shooting through the sky over the weekend.
On Saturday, a fireball shot through the atmosphere between Maine and Canada in the middle of the day. The stunning meteorite created a sonic boom that was heard across Maine. NASA was able to track the rock while the sun was still out. Now, they have identified a location where its fragments may have fallen.
On Monday, the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum announced that they were handing out a $25,000 reward for anyone that can bring them at least a kilogram of the meteorite. Darryl Pitt, chair of the museum’s meteorite division, also confirmed they’d shell out more money if additional pieces were located. The museum is ready to get its hands on this meteorite because of how rare it is. Fireballs are not typically seen during the daytime. If they do, they tend to blend with the sun. Since this one was visible, the night sky would have been extremely bright. At least six witnesses reported the fireball to the American Meteor Society. Half of them were in northeast Maine and saw a “bright red” ball with a “long glowing tail.”
“Depending upon the type of meteorite this is, specimens could easily be worth their weight in gold,” Pitt explained.
Anyone who comes across a piece of the meteorite must have it verified by the museum before collecting the reward. They can make an appointment for lab tests to be conducted, and the results could take up to ten days.
