[meteorite-list] Murchison's Meteorite Theory Gains Momentum

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon Jul 18 00:02:08 2005
Message-ID: <200507180401.j6I41JQ28348_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://news.mcmedia.com.au/story.asp?TakeNo=200507185368199

Murchison's meteorite theory gains momentum
By Darren Linton
Shepparton News (Australia)
July 18, 2005

Murchison's meteorite mystery is a step closer to being unravelled, with
two people confirming they saw a dazzling display in the night sky which
is consistent with a meteorite shower.

Like many other Murchison residents, Sandy Matthes, who runs a
backpackers' hostel in Stevenson St, heard a loud bang at 9.15 pm on
July 10.

"I heard a boom and then saw a flash and the stones falling like stars -
they were glowing red like they were on fire," Mrs Matthes said.

An English backpacker returning to the hostel joined Mrs Matthes in the
street to watch the spectacular light show, but he left town two days
ago without revealing his part in the Murchison meteorite mystery.

"It was like hundreds of little stars falling down, it was a very good
experience for me, it was amazing," Mrs Matthes said.

"I was so lucky to be outside."

Antique store owner Betty Maslin said another resident told her he was
out getting firewood and also saw the flashes in the night sky.

"There is no doubt now that we have been struck again," Mrs Maslin said.

A meteorite famously hit the town in September 1969.

The largest piece of the carbonaceous chondrite weighed 7 kg and
contained numerous amino acids and a variety of other organic compounds
that are thought to have played a role in the origin of life.

Comet enthusiast David Seargent, who wrote two books on the original
Murchison meteorite, said the latest mystery was intriguing.

"There are some things about the reports that point to another meteorite
and other parts of the story that don't quite fit," he said from his
home on the NSW central coast.

Mr Seargent said witness accounts of objects glowing red like fire could
have been a meteorite.

"The other possibility is space junk, which can often produce a
fireball," he said.

Despite numerous reports of fragments hitting houses in Murchison, no
pieces of rock have been found to date and Mr Seargent said solid
evidence might not exist.

"There is a type of meteorite that dissolves in water and with the
following rain there may be nothing to find," he said.

One troubling aspect of the meteorite theory is that the reports are
only coming from a small area of Murchison.

"Such an event would have been visible across a wide area of Victoria,"
Mr Seargent said.

"If it was only seen in Murchison it does not fit with a meteorite
landing or space junk falling to earth."

If you heard or saw anything, phone The News on 5820 3221.
Received on Mon 18 Jul 2005 12:01:18 AM PDT


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