A 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite was discovered on September 10 in the Shire area in the middle of a resident’s garden. A rare phenomenon that can advance science.
She made an amazing discovery. A meteorite fell in Shirin Park, on the night of September 9 to 10, 2023. This is an extremely rare phenomenon in France, as it has happened only three times since the beginning of the century.
The authenticity of the stone was verified by Sylvain Bouille, a professor at the University of Paris-Saclay and president of the Astronomical Society of France. It combines all the characteristics of a meteorite: on the outside, a molten crust associated with entering the atmosphere, and on the inside, shiny pebbles due to the presence of the mineral.
4.5 billion years
Its age is estimated at 4.5 billion years. According to Sylvain Poli, the stone entered the atmosphere at a speed of about 50 thousand kilometers per hour. It weighs 714g and broke the resident’s garden table.
Thus, the stone would have made a very long cosmic tour because it would come from the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
The citizen, who wished to remain anonymous, entrusted the meteorite to the Natural History Museum in the hope of advancing science. Each such event represents an opportunity for astronomers. “What we are trying to understand is the evolution of our solar system and to better understand how the planets of the solar system formed. Each meteorite is a new building block to bring a little bit of knowledge,” says Sylvain Pauly.
